Winters Bite
by HimmelRomance
Summary: Each animal knew the aim of the game – win her heart to have your wish granted. Things were going to plan up until November where a small, female rabbit joined the family. Jihae x OC
1. Chapter One

**Winters Bite.**

_Each animal knew the aim of the game – win her heart to have your wish granted. Things were going to plan up until November where a small, female rabbit joined the family._

It had been quite some time since Heejung had last visited the park; it was back when Jisoo was a cat cheekily looking up at her. It had just turned November; the snow had been falling for days and the slowly falling sun was losing it warmth. Heejung was out with Jisoo today, the pair of them happily walking side by side talking to one another. She couldn't help but smile, feeling at peace walking alongside the tall, handsome man. She couldn't deny that he looked better in his human form than his cat form but she didn't dare say this aloud. Her life had completely changed since the summer, the five pets left in a basket for her all having an impact on her. For the better or the worse she could not tell.

"Quiet" Jisoo commanded, halting in his long stride. He looked around, his eyes turning into slits as he threatening glared at a bush several feet away.  
>"What is it?" Heejung asked in confusion but Jisoo ignored her, approaching the bush with light, careful steps. Jisoo growled under his breath, as if disgusted by his finding, but it was soon cut off by his very own gasp. Heejung instantly ran over to him as he flung himself into the bush, only his waist downwards visible to her. She frowned when he suddenly became very still, slowly backing himself out of the bush. Jisoo turned to face Heejung, stretching his hands out to show her what he had found. Heejung loudly gasped, her honey eyes going wide in shock and horror.<p>

In the palm of his hands was a small rabbit, its body shaking and its eyes tightly clenched shut. It was as black as night, the same colour as Jisoo if he was a cat now, but the little thing was covered in blood.  
>"She has a broken rib, wounds to her stomach and her hind left leg is… well mostly gone. She's been out in the snow for a good few hours, probably throughout the night" Jisoo informed Heejung as he inspected the rabbit, wrapping the little thing in his clothes to try and warm it up.<br>"H..how do you know that?" Heejung asked in confusion.  
>"Cats have sharp eyes and senses" Jisoo replied with a victorious grin.<br>"We need to take her to the vets then, it's not far from here" Heejung spoke, panic now evident in her voice.  
>"No" Jisoo blankly said, his eyes looking down at the rabbit.<br>"No? What on earth do you mean?! That poor thing is suffering, you can't just say no because you dislike rabbits-" Heejung argued but Jisoo silenced her with an enraged look.  
>"She can't be vetted… she is one of us, someone like me. We're taking her home Foodgiver" Jisoo told her and without another word he walked on, his strides long and powerful. Heejung couldn't help but trot after him, she really didn't need another person in the house but it looked like she had no say in this situation.<p>

All eyes were on them when they got home, heading straight to the bathroom. Everyone besides Jieun followed after the pair, curious to what Jisoo was carrying and why they smelt blood.  
>"Jiyeon get a clean towel, Jihae get the first aid box from under the sink in the kitchen. Foodgiver we need to clean her up and get her warm as soon as possible, her body is slowly breaking down" Jisoo ordered, heading straight to the sink and turning the warm water on.<br>"What's going on?" Jiwoo asked, pushing pass Heejung to look at the situation but as soon as he saw what was going on he turned pale. By this time Jiyeon and Jihae had returned with the required items, the pair of them looking over Heejung's shoulder and down at the black rabbit that Jisoo was attempting to clean.  
>"Oh wow, where did you find her?" Jiyeon asked and Jisoo sighed, trying to explain the story as the black rabbit wriggled in his grasp. It was clear that Jisoo was no good at this, the rabbit was not making it easy for him either, and his frustration was only increasing.<br>"Let me" Jihae softly said, holding his hands out to take the burden from him. Jisoo seemed offended by this but instead of arguing with him he carefully handed her over, stepped out of the way for him to take his place.  
>"Foodgiver we should make dinner, let this rabbit do his thing" Jisoo said and before Heejung could express her worries she was dragged out of the bathroom. Jiyeon, knowing he was useless just standing with the rabbits, also left the room. Jiwoo took this time approach the sink again to look down at the rabbit, feeling slightly more comfortable with Jihae being the only other one in the room.<br>"Do you recognise her?" Jihae asked, surprised by his interest in the black rabbit. He was thankful that Jieun was still in the living room, uninterested in the events taking place in the bathroom. Jiwoo was silent for a minute, watching Jihae carefully wash her even as she weakly struggled against him.  
>"No" he simply replied as Jihae moved onto her leg. Jiwoo turned his back to them quickly and left the room in a hurry. Jihae glanced over his shoulder as he watched him leave, frowning at his sudden reaction. He shrugged, deciding that Jiwoo was not accustom to the sight of blood let alone the sight of half a leg.<br>"Well…" Jihae sighed, gently washing her wounds.  
>"Let's see what we can do for you little one" Jihae continued on.<p>

Forty minutes had slowly passed and Jihae left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around the female rabbit in his arms.  
>"How is she?" Heejung asked, leaping out of the chair at the dining table. Jihae tiredly sighed, looking in her direction.<br>"I cannot say for sure My Lady, I have done the best I can to ease her pain but tonight will be a hard night for her" Jihae honestly replied with a forced half smile. Jiwoo, Jisoo and Heejung seemed uneasy from his words but did not speak. They watched as he walked over to the living room, sitting himself next to Jieun on the couch. Jihae did not question where Jiyeon had gone to, he barely cared, all he could do was look down at the small animal wrapped in the towel with a strained expression. The three of them had joined them on the couch once they had finished eating; Heejung had tried to get Jihae to eat something but he politely declined. It was some time later when Heejung decided to go to bed, later than usual Jihae noted, but once she disappeared into her bedroom for the night the others seemed to leave the room too. Jieun left for the kitchen while Jiwoo left the house; Jisoo seemed to be the only one who lingered for a moment or two before following Jiwoo out the door. Jihae wasn't surprised he was left alone now; he doubted anyone would want to babysit the mysterious animal throughout the night. He didn't mind though, he was fine staying up to keep an eye on her.

It was the early hours of the morning. Jihae had managed to check her bandages and swap her into a blanket to ensure she warmed up. He was relieved that she was still alive, her eyes not as harshly clenched and her body less shaky. He knew she hadn't slept at all though, her breathing was harsh and she had constantly been fidgeting the whole time. Jihae had tried to sooth the troublesome thing with gentle, soft strokes but the attempt only seemed to make her worse. He had resulted to softly whispering to her, his voice seeming a good choice as she slowly settled down. Jihae had lost concentration though, his thoughts elsewhere as he grew silent. The only thing that broke the silence was the noise of the television that quietly played in the room. Jihae snapped back to reality when he heard the black rabbit harshly inhale, its body falling still. Out of panic Jihae looked down at her, his heart loudly beating as he was met with soft, ocean blue eyes.

She stared up at his face, her ears lifted up towards him for the first time. Jihae masked his emotions quickly, he had been stared at for all of his life and for the most part the looks were not kind. Either way Jihae couldn't help but sigh in relief, he was worried she would not survive the night. He didn't know what to say to her, all he could do was look down at her until words came to mind.  
>"You should rest, you must be exhausted" he quietly told her and the rabbits ears instantly dropped, as if afraid to do such a thing. Jihae went to move his hand towards the blanket to pull it more away from her mouth but at the movement she flinched making him pause for a moment. He held his hand there, the flinching rabbit relaxing again when she noticed no harm came to her. Slowly Jihae moved the blanket in a better position for her, retreating his hand away from her once he was done.<br>"You are safe here My Lady, no harm will come to you" Jihae continued on after watching her reaction. The female rabbit did not speak but merely relaxed in his arms, her eyes softening. She remained awake though, her eyes analysing him carefully. Although her eyes bothered him in more than one way Jihae couldn't help but become curious. She did not look up at him in disgust or anger, not even when her eyes lingered on his long silver hair, instead she looked up at him in wonder. A low sigh escaped her lips though, her eyes slowly closing against her will. Jihae weakly smiled down at her, he hoped she would sleep well. He turned his eyes towards the television, thankful that she had stopped fidgeting for now.


	2. Chapter Two

"Morning Jisoo, morning Jihae!" Heejung merrily chimed as she left her bedroom the next day, a smile on her lips. She held in a laugh as Jihae leapt out of his skin at the sound of her voice, looking around in a blind panic. Jisoo was not so kind at his reaction, he loudly laughed with a cattish smirk.  
>"I saw you asleep when coming back home, decided to take your little patient out of your hands so you didn't end up squishing her" Jisoo spoke, his smirk still on his face. Jihae, although offended, nodded in gratitude in a polite manner. Heejung watched the exchanged between them, thankful that they didn't start arguing again.<br>"How is she?" Heejung quickly asked, hoping to break any tension that might appear between them. At this the cat sighed, his smirk leaving his face as he worriedly frowned.  
>"She was asleep when I took her off the rabbit but she woke soon after. She is extremely restless, even as we speak" Jisoo honestly said, looking down at her for a moment with a mixed expression. Heejung couldn't quite read his expression; it was as if he wanted to hate the newcomer but found it hard to.<br>"Her wounds look good though, I couldn't find any infections when changing her bandages" Jisoo continued, recovering his thoughts as he looked up at the Foodgiver. Jihae sleepily shook his head as he stood, biting his tongue to prevent him from talking. He doubted Jisoo could bandage well, it was probably as bad as his cooking, but Jihae had no strength to argue with him this morning. He wandered over to the sink, washing his hands as he made way to start preparing breakfast.  
>"Jihae I can do that, you should go and rest" Heejung spoke after watching his actions. The tall, elegant rabbit paused in his movements for a moment.<br>"It is fine My Lady" Jihae politely said and Heejung decided not to push him on the matter.  
>"Has she spoken at all?" Heejung asked in curiosity, glancing at the two males as she prepared the meat for cooking. Jihae glanced to his left, noticing what she was preparing to make. It was clear to everyone that Heejung's favourite animal was clearly Jisoo; they had been spending so much time together that the others hadn't had chance to try and win her over. By this point Jihae had given up on her, it was clear she wasn't the slightest bit interested in him… he was not surprised.<br>"She hasn't opened her eyes let alone spoken" Jisoo voice spoke dragging Jihae out of his thoughts.  
>"She opened her eyes for a moment in the early hours of the morning" Jihae slowly said when Heejung fixed her attention on him. Heejung hummed to herself, as if wanting to ask another question, but she decided to keep quite as she continued doing what she was doing.<p>

Heejung always found it strange how the animals knew when it was time for food; they always mysteriously appeared as she put it onto the plate. For once they were quiet at the table, none moaning about the lack of something or the other. She sighed to herself, looking over at the couch where the black rabbit was left alone while everyone ate.  
>"Winter" she said aloud making everyone pause in their eating.<br>"What?" Jisoo blankly replied, a piece of bacon still on his fork.  
>"We should call her Winter. It's the time of year after all" Heejung explained, turning her focus back onto her food. Jiwoo stifled a laugh, shaking his head.<br>"What is such a stupid name Owner, no surprise judging by your lack of intelligence" Jiwoo told her, his nose turned up in arrogance. Jisoo's eyes snapped in his direction his ears pinning back at his rudeness. Heejung on the other hand shrugged the comment off, finishing the last bite of her food.  
>"Well she's got to be named something until she tells us what her name is" Heejung retorted with furrowed eyebrows.<br>"I should make her something to eat" she added onto it, standing up from her chair as she changed the subject. They watched her move back to the counter and start chopping up some carrots.  
>"You should make it fluid, stupid Owner knows nothing about sick rabbits" Jiwoo said in annoyance when watching her pick up the chunks of carrots. Heejung paused for a moment, her eyes catching onto her watch.<br>"Oh god I'm late for school!" she suddenly cried out, her hands flying to her head as if trying to calm herself down. At those words Jihae stood, taking he chunks on the counter.  
>"Allow me" he kindly said and all besides Heejung heard the low growl escape Jisoo's lips. Heejung smiled at him, thankful that he would be generous enough to do it. She turned and ran to her bedroom, reappearing a moment later with a large bag before leaving the house.<p>

By the time Jihae figured out how to use the blender and found a small enough spoon suitable for the task the house was empty, even Jieun had left the house much to his worry. Jihae wasn't all that surprised though; since Heejung started to take a liking to Jisoo everyone decided to simply leave the house as much as possible and stand on their own feet. Even Jihae had done so by signing up with a modelling contract to start getting some income. With a sigh he took a seat on the couch, putting the small pot of blended carrots on the coffee table. Carefully Jihae picked up the small bundle of blankets, finding the black rabbit sinking into it as if trying to hide.  
>"It is only me little one, I've made you some food" Jihae softly told her and at the sound of his voice she became still, opening her eyes to gaze up at him. Her gaze made Jihae's heart leap, there was so much vulnerability but softness in them he couldn't help but wonder who she was and what had happened to her. Her ears had also risen, intently listening to him as he spoke while feeding her.<br>"Heejung plans to call you Winter" Jihae politely said, trying to start a conversation with her. Winter frowned at this, her face scrunched up but it softened again. Jihae waited for her to speak in reply but she did not, instead she awkwardly looked up with him with an apologetic expression. She wriggled in his arms, the blanket loosening around her. Jihae relaxed his grasp, hoping he hadn't caused her distress from his question. He thought she would try leaping from his arms, falling to the floor but she did not, instead she pushed the blanket down with her two front paws, displaying the bandage around her stomach. With a meaningful look she glanced down at it then back at him several times.  
>"Ah…" Jihae mumbled, realising what she was trying to point out. She didn't speak because she didn't want to, it was more for the fact that she was in a lot of pain and it would only worsen if she irritated the areas where her wounds were. Winters expression softened once more, her eyes widening slightly as a strand of his hair fell close to the blanket around her. Before Jihae could express his dislike towards his hair colour or even pull it away Winter had grasped onto it with her front paws, moving it in such a way that the sunlight beaming through the balcony doors made his silver hair glisten. Winter inspected the colour and Jihae was surprised to see no look of disgust on her face, instead it looked as if she was curious. It was no lie that his hair was unique, it was the very reason why he hated it, and every rabbit should know its reasoning behind it. However it seemed that she did not, did she not come from the land of Grass? Jihae paused his thoughts as he realised Winter was now staring at him intently, as if trying to read his expressions with those eyes of hers. As if unsettled by this Jihae carefully grabbed another spoonful of blended carrots, Winter now releasing his hair from her grasp. Jihae helped her eat in silence, Winter glancing up at him every now and again.<p>

Once that was done Jihae carried her to the bathroom; he wanted to sort out her bandages since he knew that damn cat Jisoo had done them. He didn't look surprised when he realised the bandages were poorly put on but he was secretly thankful the cat had put the attempt in to sort her out. He doubted it had been long, maybe a few hours since he had done them but the leg wound had bled through already. He was thankful she was easier to tend to today than she was yesterday, he wondered if she had behaved for Jisoo too but judging at her constant flinching he doubted it. Quick movements set her off, at times she flinched away from them and other times she matched the movements with her paws, stopping his hands from reaching their destination. Every time this happened they both gave apologetic expressions; Jihae for setting her off and Winter for reacting in such a way.

Jihae sighed in relief once he was done and back on the couch again, Winter was set next to him in a new blanket. With it being November it was rather chilly, even inside a cosy home such as this one. Jihae was tired, he had worked for long hours yesterday modelling and had maybe one or two hours sleep a few hours ago. Worst part about it he had work tomorrow as well in the morning. He was tempted to cancel it, tell them he was unable to do it, but he knew he had to get out the house and do it to keep his minds off things. He sighed again, looking down at the black rabbit by his side who looked up at the television with a tilted head. While she was distracted Jihae decided to transform into his rabbit form, knowing it was the polite thing to do when sleeping here. At the movement Winters attention was directly on him, her ears pointed at him and her eyes analysing him. She watched his ears drop and his head turn away; it was as if he was embarrassed at being watched. Jihae shivered as he curled himself up, it was colder than he imagined and he was way too tired to transform, get up and crank up the heating. He closed his eyes, his back partially turned towards Winter as he tried to catch up on his sleep.


	3. Chapter Three

It was surprising how fast two weeks could pass by; even Winter couldn't believe it as she sat on the couch thinking about it. It had come to a point where she only had to wear a bandage around her left hind leg, her stomach was healed up for the most part. She had somewhat become comfortable staying here, even if the human Heejung had tried to fuss her countless times. She knew Heejung was trying to be friendly though, she was the same with the others whenever they were around. Winter had frowned at this though, wondering how five animals ended up here… her thoughts became even more muddled up when she noticed the glances between them all. Winter didn't know how long they had all lived together but it was obvious Heejung was blind to it all, blind to the glances they shared at each other and the looks of jealousy in Jisoo's direction. Winter was a smart rabbit; she knew a few days living here that they were all after the human. The problem was why… why were they all interested in her? The most confusing thing about it was all the animals had different personalities; it just didn't make sense to her.

She had spent most of her time alongside Jihae; he had been the one looking after her. She enjoyed the silver rabbits company; he was well spoken, polite and calm. There was something about him that made her feel safe, something she hadn't felt for many years. She was still uneasy though, she wasn't sure if he or any of the others would be so accepting to her stay when they see who she is, what she is. Surprisingly when Jihae was out working Jiwoo was the one sitting nearby, never communicating with her but always reading with a concentrated expression. Winter had respected his space, only interacting with him once when she accidently fell off the couch when she was having a nightmare. She shivered at the thought, embarrassed and ashamed of him witnessing it. Jiwoo was not bitter nor did he insult her, instead a look of concern fell on his features as he helped her up. She had dared to take a look at his books a few times, seemed to all include Romance, but she did no more than that.

She was surprised that Jieun approached her today, a smile on his face as he held some sort of basket. She had been in his company a few times seeing as he was often around Jihae, he had even tried to pet her on occasion but Jihae had softly told him it was wise to leave me be.  
>"I'm going to see Eddie, want to come?" Jieun boldly said, his smile never leaving his face. Winter knew who he was on about, Jieun often called Jihae by the name Eddie. It often made her wonder what his true name was. Winter, not having the chance to leave the house since arriving here, nodded her head eagerly. She wanted to see the outside world and enjoy the fresh air, even with it still being cold outside. Jieun happily grinned, setting the basket next to her. She awkwardly scrambled into the basket, Jieun being kind enough to help her in and place the blanket on her. Winter knew Jieun visited Jihae a lot while he was working, they had probably planned it, but she hoped her presence wouldn't be an issue. She actually didn't mind Jieun's company, he was quiet and reserved. A huge dreamer too which often left him in a daze. Either way Winter was thankful for this opportunity and looked forward to it.<p>

Winter sighed in content as they left the house, the feeling of the morning sun on her face and the soft breeze refreshing. She was used to the cold; she was the type of animal who never stayed home. At the thought of home her eyes narrowed, a distasteful expression written over her face. Even though she had suffered great pain to get where she was today she was thankful, it was worth it in her eyes. She wanted to start anew, even if it was in this world rather than her own. She could deal with hiding her appearance, she had done it most of her life, but falling in the hands of animals worried her. They would recognise her, that much was certain, but what would they do afterwards? She dared to think.  
>"We're here" Jieun's voice spoke pulling Winter away from her thoughts. She looked up at the tall building in front on her; just how long had she been lost in her thoughts? They were in a middle of a large city, people walking around with their own small missions and lives. A group of teenage girls were currently looking in their direction, giggling behind their held up hands as their eyes looked Jieun up and down. Winter frowned at Jieun's lack of notice, it was as if he had one mission in mind and had become narrow sighted. He walked into the building with long strides, his back straight and his head held high. He never spoke, he didn't need to it seemed, and the smartly dressed woman with slanted glasses allowed him pass into a room. Clicking of photo's being snapped entered Winters ears as they went in the room, her eyes becoming wide as her eyes fell on Jihae. He was in the middle of a photo shoot, his expression fixed as he gazed into the lens of the camera. He was smartly dressed; black shirt, red tie and a long white jacket with black trousers. The lighting was perfectly set onto him; there was truly no fault to his appearance. She frowned for a moment, remembering something but she shook those thoughts away – no matter who they were she would never judge someone by their looks, not like the others… Winter was captivated; it was no surprise he was accepted for this job.<br>"Eddie!" Jieun called out and Jihae's concentration immediately dropped, turning to face us both. A small smile fell on his face but he looked surprised when he spotted Winter. He stood, signalling the cameraman to pause as he walked over.  
>"We're done here, we have enough good shots" the cameraman voiced, his expression bright when he realised who had come. He greeted Jieun before turning his eyes to the basket.<br>"Oh a rabbit, looks pretty cute too" he continued on as he stood and walked over, peering into the basket. Winter looked up at him, her ears dropping. Winter was thankful he didn't try to touch her; he simply gazed at her with an interested look.  
>"Say she'd probably look good in front of a camera too. Not as attractive as the silver rabbit I saw once but she has a cute little face on her" he voiced, a grin on his face. Jihae shook his head, dismissing his thoughts.<br>"Anyway I'll catch you tomorrow!" he finished off, grinning once more at Winter before leaving. Winter kept her eyes on him as he left; only turning her attention away from him when a shadow fell over her body.

Jihae looked exhausted; he had been working overtime for the past few weeks and having to look after Winter made him work even harder. Winters ears pricked up again as she looked up at him, her expression soft and warm. Jihae's smile didn't leave, even when he looked down at Winter.  
>"It is good to see you out My Lady" he greeted, his voice silky smooth. Winters ears fell slightly, the sound of his voice soothing. He glanced towards Jieun, as if silently communicating with him and his smile left as Jieun handed the basket over. Winter was confused, why was he leaving already without even saying a word? Winter quickly glanced between them then focused on Jihae as Jieun left the room.<br>"Worry not" Jihae murmured, looking back at Winter.  
>"He has plans apparently" Jihae explain and Winter tilted her head. She was unsure how true that was but she didn't dare question it, she still hadn't spoken. Jihae smile again, standing tall as he strode out the door carrying the basket.<p>

Winter wasn't sure where they were heading, she wasn't even sure if they were heading in the same direction to where Heejung's house was. Although Jihae ignored it Winter was certain he heard the comments people made as he walked through the city.  
>"Oh it's that model from the magazine" one man said,<br>"He looks even better than he does in the photos!" a woman dreamingly said,  
>"He'll be my man, just you wait girls! I'm picture perfect for him" a teenage girl squealed. The comments continued on and Winter gave up trying to find out who said what, instead her attention was fixed on Jihae. He tried to hide his feelings towards these comments but Winter could read his eyes, any comment based on his appearance bothered him greatly. She knew why though, she knew more about the lives of others than she knew of her own…<p> 


	4. Chapter Four

The comments slowly got quieter and quieter, the pitter-patter of footsteps lost behind them as the world around them change from the city into the more relaxed parts of the world. They entered a spacious area with trees and benches, the frozen pond in the distance noting Winter of where they were. They were at the park where Jisoo had found her, the thought bringing a shiver to her body. Jihae pushed the snow off of one of the benches, taking a seat and putting the basket to his right side.  
>"It would be unfair to simply go straight home My Lady, you have not been able to come out at all" Jihae quietly said, his body relaxing down as he realised no one else was around. Winters ears flopped down, taking in the scenery as memories plagued her mind. They both sat in silence for a moment, Jihae looking off into the distance while Winter fixed her gaze onto one of the bushes. She closed her eyes for a moment, finding her courage.<br>"That's where he found me" a timid, small voice spoke and Jihae almost jumped out of his seat from it. He turned his head to look down at Winter who had, unknown to her, moved herself to the edge of her basket to peer at the bush.  
>"It was a miracle he had; I was so weak I could barely call out for help. I still don't know how I manage to realise he was an animal just from his smell…" Winter continued on, closing her eyes once again to recollect her thoughts. She paused for a moment, opening her eyes to look up at Jihae.<br>"I am very fortunate; I will forever be in the debt of you all for the kindness I have received" she slowly said, her ears still down. Jihae was surprised and also warmed by her words. Jihae sadly smiled, he was unsure of how fortunate she was but it saved her life, he would not complain.  
>"I am glad" he breathed, placing a hand near her. Winter noticed the movement and for once she didn't flinch, instead she moved close to it allowing Jihae to place his hand onto her. They fell into silence again; they both had questions for one another but none of them knew where to start.<br>"How long were you there for?" Jihae asked after a minute, his tone low and careful. Winter sighed aloud, her body slightly tense.  
>"Since 9pm the day before I think" she responded, glancing away from him for a moment.<br>"How…" Jihae began but paused when Winter fixed her eyes back on him.  
>"How did I end up here? The tale is long and… not too pleasant. What about you?" Winter responded. It was now Jihae's turn to look away, shaking his head as if removing his thoughts.<br>"I cannot say" he said, his tone low. Winter had expected as much, there was something going on between them all.  
>"It's the human isn't it?" she noted making the silver headed man sharply turn to look at her. His expression said it all.<br>"I see he is up to his old tricks" Winter speculated, closing her eyes for a moment to try and hide her emotions.  
>"Who?" Jihae questioned, avoiding the question. At this Winter glanced around, double checking they were truly alone here.<br>"The wizard… he has summoned you all here. It all makes sense now…" Winter answered him, whispering her thoughts after identifying who she was on about. Jihae kept silent for a moment, unsure how to respond to this situation but he strangely felt relieved, as if the weight on his shoulders had been lifted.  
>"Is that why you are here?" Jihae asked and Winter froze, debating how she should answer him.<br>"Yes… and no" she simply answered. Jihae could tell she did not want to speak about it and he respected that. He softly stroked her back making her sigh once more, relaxing down. Winter remembered bits and pieces to why she was here; she knew that she had completed her mission… as to what her mission was she did not remember, it was as if the memory itself was removed.

In the two weeks they had spent with one another they understood each other rather well and created a small friendship that didn't feel forced or one sided. Winter was extremely thankful for this, she wanted… needed someone to turn to, especially since her... incident.  
>"Y'know it's kind of funny…" Winter mumbled after a moment of silence. Their eyes connected again for a moment but her eyes fell over his face and hair.<br>"The tales are not true about you…" she stated and Jihae felt himself tensing once again; so she did know about him.  
>"Yes I know about you, I know bits and pieces about all the rabbits" she truthfully explained with a knowing but uneasy look.<br>"Your colouring is very unique, none I have ever witnessed before" she confessed, her eyes going soft. Jihae didn't know what to say, he had never heard words like that from someone before. Heejung had noted him on his beauty once but her attention was soon turned onto someone else, the cat.  
>"It's actually refreshing" she implied with a timid smile, her voice going lower and softer. Jihae smiled at her words but couldn't help but frown… Winter noticed the expression; she knew he wondered how she knew of him and the others. She held in a sigh; when they see her in her other form she would not need to speak the reason, they would know.<p>

They spent the rest of the day there, talking now and again about small, simple things. Winter discovered that Jihae was a hard person to pinpoint; he had no real likes or dislikes. She had questioned about his work but he was brief in replying, noting that it paid well to buy items. She had also braved asking him about Jieun – she already knew about their connection but none of that mattered here in this world.  
>"I'm to serve him but he is slowly pushing me away, I know not what to do" Jihae honestly replied to her question.<br>"Perhaps it is not a bad thing" Winter suggested,  
>"He is getting older and, if my thoughts are correct, he'll have to adapt to this world" she spoke on making Jihae look down at her.<br>"You seem to know a lot about what will happen to us" Jihae assumed and Winter stiffened, forcing herself to relax down a moment later.  
>"Yes… but let us not speak of it now. It is getting late; we should probably return home before Heejung starts to worry" Winter said and Jihae sighed, a little sad he did not get the answer as easily as he imagined. He nodded though, standing himself up and brushing himself off before picking the basket up.<br>"Jihae…" Winter softly breathed making Jihae look down at her.  
>"Thank you for this time out" she continued making the man smile.<br>"Any time My Lady" he replied, his voice smooth.  
>"Please just call me Winter" she requested making the man frown.<br>"I do not deserve a title, I am not worthy of one" she explained and Jihae was tempted to argue this request but decided against it for now. He was certain there was a reason behind it all but he knew he would not get the answer today. With a polite tilt of his head he agreed, turning his gaze ahead as he started to walk in the direction of home.

They were greeted home by Jisoo and Heejung comfortably sitting on the couch, watching the television ahead of them. Jisoo had a victorious grin on his face when he noticed Jihae but it soon fell as he noticed Winter looking blankly at him.  
>"I was beginning to worry; it's good to see you home!" Heejung happily said, looking between Jihae and Winter. Jihae replied to her with a wave of his hand, dismissing the thought of worrying but he glanced down when Winter remained silent. The others seemed not to notice Jihae's look towards the rabbit and Winter was thankful, her ears lifting as she innocently looked at Jihae.<br>"We're going out to the movies in a bit, I don't know what the others have got planned. You don't mind doing dinner tonight do you Jihae?" Heejung went on, glancing at Jisoo with a smile before looking back at the tall, silver haired man.  
>"Not at all My Lady" Jihae replied and Heejung beamed at this, excitement in her eyes. Winter still had her eyes on Jihae, she felt pained knowing that he would not win this 'game' they all played among themselves. She paused in thought; what exactly had they requested if they won?<br>"Guess we'll catch you later" Jisoo hurriedly said, dragging her out the door without even turning the television off. Winter looked just as confused as Jihae did; were they waiting for them to come home just to say that and leave?  
>"It seems we are alone again little one" Jihae murmured, wandering over to the kitchen. He placed the basket onto the floor, wandering to the sink to wash his hands to prepare dinner. Winter scrambled herself out of the basket, wobbling on three legs for several seconds before falling. Jihae heard the light impact and looked down.<br>"Ugh" she sighed, looking up at the man with a frustrated but amused smile.  
>"I guess we are" she added, sitting herself up on the floor. She noticed the small smile appear on Jihae's face as he moved to the fridge, looking into it.<br>"I feel as if I never see the others, as if they are always out" Winter slowly mumbled, her expression concerned. She knew she shouldn't get close to any of them; she would be on her way once she was healed up anyway but she couldn't help but get concerned. She knew it wasn't their usual behaviour to always be out.  
>"It is our best way to deal with it" Jihae replied a moment later, avoiding her eyes as he grabbed some food, walking to the counter to prepare it. He kept his back to Winter.<br>"So you're all going to give up on it just like that?" Winter carefully asked hoping her words didn't offend him. Jihae paused for a moment, his shoulders tense but they fell in defeat.  
>"The others haven't given up hope, they still try but it's hard when Jisoo is with her a lot of the time" Jihae replied. Winter parted her lips to speak but paused, knowing it wasn't right of her to ask if he still chased her down. She wasn't sure why she wanted to know the answer… most probably curiosity.<br>"Do you want anything special tonight?" Jihae asked after a moment, changing the subject. Winter frowned, not catching onto what he meant but when he tilted his head in the direction of the fridge and looked down at her she knew what he meant.  
>"Oh" she breathed.<br>"Uh no… anything is fine thank you" she continued on. Jihae raised an eyebrow at her words.  
>"There's nothing you want?" he asked and the female rabbit shook her head, her ears low.<br>"I don't exactly have a favourite kind of food" she told him,  
>"I learnt to eat what I could find. You tend to forget the taste of things after a while" she truthfully explained and Jihae went quiet, turning back to the food on the counter. Winter wondered if she had been too blunt but she forgot about that thought as Jihae spoke again.<br>"Do you plan to speak around the others?" he asked and Winter wondered for a moment.  
>"I'm not sure" she honestly said and Jihae glanced at her once more, his expression asking her why she remained silent.<br>"I am not much of a speaker" she managed to say. Both knew this was partly true but also partly a lie. Jihae nodded, brushing it off as he returned back to making dinner.

Their conversation was light as they ate together and watched the discovery channel afterwards, the pair of them mostly in their own thoughts. Winter wondered what the next few weeks would bring her. She was slowly recovering, would she be able to leave soon? Would it be as simple as walking out the door? She wished she had the answer to these questions.


	5. Chapter Five

It was crazy how fast the days were going; one moment Winter was in mid-November and now it was the 2nd of December. She shook her head, as if grasping back onto reality. Her days with Jihae had been so enjoyable that she couldn't keep track of time. The only time she realised a day had passed was when he left for work, the loneliness grasping onto her as she sat mostly alone in the house. The others had picked up on this occurring thing but the small black rabbit avoided any interaction with them. It had come to a point where Winter would injure herself just to get away, falling from the couch several times when Heejung had tried to comfort her. Jiwoo and the two cats were generous in leaving her be; the cats didn't care much about her whereas Jiwoo studied her from afar, as if noting her actions down. Winter had even overheard Heejung expressing her worries about this to Jihae the night before when he got in late from work. It was clear Heejung had no idea how little Winter slept, she was probably more sleep deprived than Heejung was herself. At the thought of sleep Winter shivered; she had been having nightmares every time she fell asleep. It was coming to a point where Winter was afraid of sleeping, Jihae picking up on this after she had passed out for the third time in his company. Jihae had questioned why she feared it, he didn't even hide his worry as he asked but Winter didn't have the heart to tell him.  
>"It is best left unknown, it is not worth worrying about" she had told him several times, trying to reassure him but each time she said those words it only seemed to worsen his worry.<p>

Her eyes fell onto Jihae as he walked into sight, pushing his ears into his hat as he set it on his head. She knew he was heading to work this afternoon, it was as if the poor man never had a day off. Jihae glanced down at her, as if trying to answer a question in his head.  
>"Do you want to join me?" he asked aloud and Winters ears lifted. Ever since her trip to the park with Jihae he had tried his best to take her out a few times.<br>"It's going to be a long shoot, apparently the earliest we'll finish is 9pm" Jihae added when he noticed her interest but Winter eagerly nodded at the chance, a smile on her face. It felt good to get out the house again, especially with Jihae. As much as she tried not to get connected to the man she couldn't help but get closer and closer to him, as if an unknown force was pulling them together. She couldn't compare him to anyone she had ever met in her life before, he was so unique and different it almost worried her. Her thoughts drifted as people commented on Jihae as he walked through the city, carrying the basket with the black rabbit in. Some had witnessed the sight before and smiled at the pair while others had not and blankly stared at the duo.

They reached the building where Jieun and Winter had last visited to see Jihae. He walked in, a fixed expression on his face as he walked to the reception desk.  
>"Good afternoon, Mr Hai is waiting for you in Room A2" the woman at the desk greeted, eyeing the man up in lust. Winter was surprised at the lack of response from Jihae; he didn't smile, nod or look annoyed, he simply turned and walked down the hallway. He entered the room two doors down to the left, being extra careful not to bang Winters basket in the process of passing through the door.<br>"Ahh right on time like always!" a male voice called and Winter looked in the direction of the voice noticing it was the same man as before. He noticed the basket and his smile widened even more.  
>"Ohh why hello there again" he cooed, walking towards the pair to look down into the basket. Winter looked up at him with large eyes.<br>"I hope you do not mind me bringing her today. She's well behaved so she won't cause any problems while we shoot" Jihae spoke with a flat tone, getting straight to the point. Winter assumed the man was Mr Hai as he looked back up to Jihae.  
>"No no it's perfectly fine" he assured, pointing to a table.<br>"You can put her over there once you're all prepped and ready. Your clothing is ready for you and I'll call one of the girls in once you're dressed for make-up" Mr Hai seriously said, getting to business. Jihae nodded once to the man before walking to the other side of the room, entering a door.

Winter held in a gasp as they entered the room; rows and rows of clothes were hung up to the right while a large, long table and a few luxury chairs were to the left in front of a large mirror. One clothes rack was pulled out, Jihae's name labelled to the top of it. He set the basket onto the table, wandering over to look at the clothes.  
>"You're safe to talk in here" he lowly said, grabbing the clothing and eyeing them up.<br>"I searched the place for cameras and stuff on my first day here" he explained and Winter sighed in relief.  
>"It's quite a nice place they have here" she noted, looking around with her ears raised. She had only seen this many clothes in luxury homes when she was attending to business in her world. She carefully got herself out of the basket, looking into the mirror with a somewhat disgusted look at herself. She turned her eyes away noticing Jihae looking at her intently.<br>"Well at least my clothing isn't too bad today" Jihae said, turning his eyes away from her. Winter smiled at him, imagining them trying to get him into more revealing clothing. She couldn't blame them though, he was extremely attractive to the human eye… heck he was attractive to the animal eye too as long as they didn't know his story.  
>"I hope you don't intend to watch me as I change" Jihae joked and Winter felt a blush creep onto her face, turning her eyes to her front paws.<br>"I'll spare you this time" she joked back, noticing pictures to the left of the long mirror. She slowly moved herself over to view them, the pictures having both men and women she didn't recognise. She noticed one person though; Jihae was to one side of the collection, as if he was recently added to the collection. Shuffling was heard behind her but Winter was kind enough to respect his privacy, keeping her eyes on the photos. In Jihae's picture he was staring right at the camera, his face stern and focused. His eyes were dull though, no emotion showing on them. It felt odd; Winter was so used to him displaying some sort of emotion it was strange to see.  
>"Quite a collection, colleagues I'm assuming?" Winter asked once most of the shuffling had stopped and a hum was heard next to her making her jump slightly.<br>"I've never met them" Jihae honestly said,  
>"I requested to do my shoots alone. Once or twice I have seen one of them exit the building after their shift but besides from that I don't see them" Jihae explained and Winter frowned, wondering why he chose to do it alone. Jihae hit something to the left of her, a button, and he placed a hand on her back.<br>"I've called the make-up artist, she'll be here in a few minutes" Jihae told her and Winter looked up at him, her ears lowering slightly. He had dressed himself in soft blue clothing, historic high class clothing she guessed. She didn't ask why that theme, she doubted Jihae cared to know.

Winter closed her eyes for a moment, she knew she had to be silent now; she couldn't risk being overheard as the make-up artist approached the room. Jihae took the nearby seat, peering into the mirror for a moment before looking down at her.  
>"Come, let me hold you for a while. The woman is very obsessed with 'adorable animals' and will more than likely try to pet you" Jihae requested, his hand pulling away from her back. He held out both hands, waiting to see if she accepted the offering. Winters eyes softened, glad and thankful that he understood she disliked being touched. She approached him and Jihae carefully wrapped his fingers around her, lifting her to his chest. His embrace was warm and comforting, she had been held this way a few times before when Jieun or Heejung had been persistent with interacting with her. She rested her head on his chest, glancing in the mirror to see Jihae looking down at her with a small smile on his face. Winter lightly sighed without knowing so, closing her eyes. She hoped the make-up artist wouldn't be too long; she didn't want to fall asleep no matter how secure she felt in his arms.<p>

Her small hope was granted just in time as the woman entered the room five minutes later, the crashing of her bag onto the table startling Winter out of her small doze. Winter took note of how little Jihae tried to communicate back with the 30 year old woman, his frustration never showing as the woman continued to talk to them as she worked. The woman was pretty; small round face, pouting red lips, long red hair and intense hazel eyes. Winter couldn't understand how Jihae could simply dismiss her; most if not all his attention was on her. The woman had fussed Winter once, her voice high pitched as if talking to a baby and Winter inched closer to Jihae to avoid her touch as much as possible. The make-up took around half an hour, Winter was surprise how long it took considering she put so little on Jihae's face. Jihae was polite in thanking her once she was done, wordlessly putting Winter into the basket to carry her out. The pair left the room, the make-up artist left in the room to clean up. The photographer grinned, his eyes bright as he looked at Jihae.  
>"You look wonderful" he noted and Jihae remained silent, putting the basket on the table near Mr. Hai. The man grinned, glad to be accompanied by Winter.<br>"You should count yourself lucky, many people have asked to see Jihae in action but none have been lucky to besides me and that young lad that comes" Mr. Hai loudly spoke as he looked down at her, laughing at his own joke as Jihae left her side and went to the throne in front of the camera.  
>"Ah straight to work like usual, wish every model was like you" the man continued on, turning his attention to the camera as he looked through the lens.<p>

Winter could see why the photographer enjoyed shooting Jihae; he worked perfectly and followed every direction without fault. Nothing was ever too much for Jihae and Winter found it extremely hard to take her eyes off him. Some people might consider someone changing positions for an hour or so extremely boring but Winter actually found it interesting and being able to see Jihae working and the shots taken on the screen nearby was a pleasure. She found herself enjoying herself, the room wasn't loud and knowing Jihae was nearby it made her comfortable. She wasn't certain how much time had passed but the mention of her caught her attention.  
>"I've never seen an animal behave so well before. Huh, if my dog acted that way I'd probably get a good price on him" the photographer stated, a laugh escaping his lips. Jihae didn't smile at his joke but simply nodded his head, indicating he was listening to him still.<br>"Say I don't suppose you'd be interested in selling her? I have a seven year old daughter who would love a rabbit" he continued on, stepping away from the camera for a moment to look down at Winter. Jihae wandered over to stand beside him, looking down at her too.  
>"I'm afraid not, she's still not fully recovered anyway" Jihae politely answered, smiling down at Winter as he held his hands out to pick her up out of the basket. Winter accepted him, the tall man holding her close as he showed the photographer her leg.<br>"My gosh, whatever happened to her?" he asked his Jihae shrugged.  
>"I do not know, a friend found her a few weeks back so we've been helping her get better" Jihae honestly said and the photographer looked sad for a moment.<br>"Well I'm glad she's fallen into good hands then, say would you have a few photos done with her? I'll pay extra" he said, his eyes sparkling at the thought of him agreeing. Jihae looked down at Winter, silently asking her for her opinion. She discretely nodded; to the human eye she was just a rabbit anyway.  
>"Does the leg not bother you?" Jihae asked offhandedly and the photographer grinned.<br>"When you hold her you can hardly see" he said, his grin never leaving. Jihae shrugged, walking back in front of the camera with Winter in his arms. Winter didn't mind this happening; she had done a similar thing in the past in her own world… back when she was working for them…


	6. Chapter Six

They were late getting home and had missed out on dinner. Thankfully Heejung had been kind enough to leave food in the fridge for them. They quietly spoke to one another as they ate, sitting on the couch once they were done. Jisoo was sound asleep on one of the couches so Jihae sat himself on the other, setting Winter down next to him. She stretched, glad to be out of the basket for the rest of the night. Wordlessly Jihae transformed next to her, laying himself down nearby.  
>"I think you have yourself a new fan" Jihae lowly noted, hoping not to awaken Jisoo as he mentioned the way the photographer had acted. Winter tiredly smiled, looking across at him.<br>"He would think differently if he saw me in person" she told him and Jihae frowned before brushing the comment off.  
>"You were a natural too, have you done something like that before?" he continued on and Winter shrugged.<br>"I've done it a few times before" she truthfully told him and Jihae hummed.  
>"You seem to know a bit about my past but I know very little about you… what did you used to do?" Jihae asked out of curiosity and Winter tensed, her eyes turning away from him. She lowly sighed, laying her head down as her ears dropped.<br>"My past is… something I am not proud of" she slowly said and it made him tilt his head to the side in confusion. He gently nudged Winters side with his head and she turned her eyes to him, masking her sadness in hopes he would not notice it.  
>"It cannot be that bad" Jihae naturally responded but regretted his words as he saw Winter closed her eyes, letting out a painful sigh as her mask faltered. She knew she couldn't tell him straight up who she had worked for but she wondered if she could explain her reasons behind it and why she was working for them. She remained silent for a moment knowing she'd have to be extremely careful on her wording, hoping not to give away her identity.<br>"I can't tell you straight up what I used to do; I fear you will think differently of me and view me as one of them… I can briefly tell you some things though. My father was a part of it, pretty high up in the ranks too and he was very… loyal to his work. He wanted to be the highest rank possible; he would include himself in anything he could just to look good and be nosy. I have a brother, four years older than me… he was a part of it too" she started to explain, her body falling into a defeated state.  
>"He was my father's pride and joy; he was perfection in his eyes although he lacked the skills. At first I had tried hard to please him, my innocence blinding me when I was younger. As I got older I started to understand how wrong everything was. I was requested to… to do something unacceptable at the age of thirteen…" she continued on and Winter paused, lowly sighing.<br>"Did you do it?" Jihae dared to ask her and the rabbit shook her head.  
>"No, I refused to which… did not please my father" she replied, her words turning dark and bitter.<br>"My father and I never had a good relationship but after that day things got worse. Although I managed to refuse that request I was forced to do harder and harder tasks, most of them life threatening… Although the reasoning behind them was awful I was able to travel far and see new places…" she slowly explained, her eyes falling into his for a moment.  
>"It had its advantages in a weird way. It got me away for a few months or so" she added on.<br>"Could you not simply run away?" Jihae asked and she smiled at him.  
>"You know it's not that simple" she told him, referring to how he couldn't escape his life. Jihae closed his eyes for a moment before nodding, understanding her words yet he felt there was more to it, as if something or someone kept her there.<br>"Is that why you was injured… did one of your outings go poorly?" Jihae asked and she shook her head.  
>"Not quite" she murmured, flinching at the memory. Jihae moved closer to her in a protective manner, gently looking at her in the eyes.<br>"I…" she stammered.  
>"I do not have the heart to speak of it now" she slowly said.<br>"Worry not Winter, tell me when you are ready" Jihae gently said and she was warmed by his response and also surprised.  
>"Do you not think of me differently? It is clear that I… I have done bad in the past" Winter lowly asked in disbelief. She knew she hadn't explained much to him but she believed it was enough to make him unsure of her. Jihae lowly chuckled, a sincere smile on his face as he chose his words carefully.<br>"I'm honoured that you have trusted me with this much. I think you have a kind heart no matter what you have been forced to do in the past" Jihae told her and Winter felt something she had never felt before. She didn't have a word to explain the feeling but it was relieving, as if a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  
>"You are too kind Jihae… I sometimes wonder if I truly deserve this" Winter murmured, more to herself than to him. Jihae remained silent knowing that they had spoken enough about her tonight.<p>

After that day Jihae had taken Winter to work with him, both talking to one another whenever they had the chance to. On a few occasions Winter had disappeared from the house, a simple note left detailing she'd be home soon enough. The days were getting colder but the moods of people got better as they merrily sung Christmas songs as they went on their way to places.

Christmas Eve had already arrived and Jihae had a lot of questions; four days ago when they had visited the beach after work something odd had happened. They were both talking quietly to themselves and without warning Winter had fallen into silence mid-sentence. Jihae thought nothing of it at first, noticing an elderly ill looking woman several meters away. He had naturally assumed that Winter fell into silence so they were not overheard but once she left from sight Winter remained silent, as if she had seen a ghost of some sorts. Jihae noticed that Winter continued to stare in the direction where the woman once was, it was as if the rabbit was trying to decide if she should chase after her or not. Jihae had questioned her about her reaction there and then but she just shook her head, revealing nothing. After that Winter had been acting different… distant. Jihae had been working until late again, Winter patiently sitting in the basket as he changed into his normal clothes again. She remained quiet but she was on edge, her body shaking from lack of sleep.  
>"Let us return to the beach" Winter lowly said, breaking the silence between them once Jihae returned to her side. He looked down at her in confusion and also surprise, it wasn't like her to start the conversation since she had seen the woman.<br>"I will explain when we get there" she added on, looking up at him with large eyes. She could see Jihae was extremely exhausted, he had a long shoot today and involved a lot of moving. The man sighed, nodding his head. Winter was thankful he wasn't the type of man to refuse.


	7. Chapter Seven

He picked up the basket with her in and left the modelling building, his strides long as he avoided contact with the moving bodies in the city. Most were already dressed up and drunk, their smiles wide and their words slurred as they enjoyed themselves under the dark night sky. Winter was relieved that she had not requested visiting the park tonight; even that seemed to have people walking in the deep snow here and there. It wasn't long until they reached the beach and Winter was almost afraid to speak. She shivered as a gust of wind crashed against her body and even Jihae shivered.

Although the sea had mostly washed away the snow that had settled there throughout the day it hadn't washed away the snow on the bench nearby. Jihae wiped it off, sitting himself down and setting the basket beside him. Winter immediately got out of the basket, looking straight up at him with a worried but determined expression. She heavily breathed in, preparing herself.  
>"There is a lot I have to explain to you and I wish I had the time and words to do so" she started off, closing her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts.<br>"I don't really understand why I'm going to do this, I am at a point where I can survive alone and it is probably safer to keep silent and forget the past" she went on and looked up at him again.  
>"But you have done so much I… I feel the need to explain myself to you, to show you who I truly am. I- I do not want to lie to someone who has helped me" she slowly said and she jumped down off of the bench, wincing as she landed oddly. Jihae leant forward to grasp her but she signalled him not to, shuffling back a few steps.<br>"I'll understand if you cannot accept me for who I am… was" she went on and she could see the confusion welling up in his eyes. Even she was confused on what she was saying at this point but she knew showing him was better than any words she could produce. She loudly sighed in defeat, tilting her head to the ground for a moment before looking him dead in the eye.  
>"When I came to this world I thought that was my ending, it was what I deserved… but fate had other plans it seems" she told him.<br>"Winter I-" Jihae interjected, his voice low.  
>"No, don't stop me" Winter demanded, no… she begged.<br>"I… thank you for everything you have done for me; I truly do not deserve the kindness I have received. Before I show you I want you to know that you truly are someone special… meeting you has made my endless pain worthwhile, my life feels complete" she said, her voice now low and soft. She stepped back several more steps, her body almost lost in the darkness that surrounded the only lamp shining down on them. One moment there stood a small black rabbit and the next sat a shaking, torn up woman.

A woman around five foot two sat in a defeated form in front of him. Her black clothing with red symbols had several slashes and holes in it, the areas that showed her skin revealed healing wounds and fading bruises. Even her left leg, or what was left of it, had little clothing remaining there; it was as if someone had ripped her leather leggings away to see to the missing leg. Jihae noticed the clothing instantly, the white and red mask covering her face and the two daggers at her hips confirming his suspicions. Her black ears were still flopped down; her fur blending in with her black hair that ran like a river down her body to the tip of her elbows, hiding parts of the straps where a bag sat on her back. Winter shivered under his gaze, unable to move or speak.  
>"You're an assassin" he gasped and Winter shuddered at those words, her eyes cast downwards.<br>"I was not an assassin to be exact but I was a spy among them" she murmured, correcting him.  
>"I was forced into the organisation since a young age and trained until my early teens. I was assigned to assassinate someone at thirteen, it was to be my first kill…" she started to explain in a timid voice, her eyes never leaving her hands that intertwined awkwardly.<br>"That was what I refused to do… I refused to take another one's life, especially an innocent one. The clan was not happy with my refusal, especially my father…" she continued on and she paused, sighing.  
>"After a few months of… 'education' I was assigned as a spy. I was the best they had" she spoke, a harsh painful laugh escaping her body.<br>"I had to be the best to live. I swear half of my missions were traps set by my father for me to fail" Winter bitterly said, shaking her head. She kept silent for a moment, her hands never pausing as she tried to think her words through.  
>"The woman we saw, I know that woman" she continued on for a moment.<br>"Who is she?" Jihae quietly asked and Winter flinched at his voice, there was no softness in it… it was dead, blank. Winter closed her eyes as she thought of the woman; greying hair, dull brown eyes and sickly pale skin to match her fragile form.  
>"She was the reason I never left, never ran away. S-she is my mother… was my mother. I did it to protect her… to save her from those monsters…" she answered him. Winter heard shuffling in front of her and she placed her hands on her mask, bowing her head down as she bit back her emotions. Winter remained very still, her emotions overrunning her senses as she assumed he had left her, walked away like any sane living being would.<p>

She had expected too much from him; was it too soon or would the timing never be right to tell someone this..? She decided it was probably both, her heart panging in pain. How could anyone receive information like this and simply laugh it off with a big smile and accept them with wide, open arms. She was doomed from the day she was born, a simple pawn to be played with. A light sigh was heard in front of her and something touched her hands… someone…  
>"Do-don't touch me…" Winter instantly whispered, pulling her hands away from her mask. Her hands were shaking, her whole body was shaking… she had experienced fear many times but this seemed the worst. She always knew how they would react to her but Jihae… she had no clue how Jihae would respond.<br>"Winter" Jihae's voice softly spoke in front of her and she shook her head, as if trying to remove the slimmer of hope that he was still before her. Jihae spoke her name again, braving to place his hands on her shaking ones. She fought his touch for a moment but stopped when his firm grip never left. He softly rubbed her small hands, trying to comfort her.  
>"W..why are you still here? Aren't you meant to be disgusted… afraid of me?" Winter weakly whispered, knowing tears were starting to fall from her eyes. She was disgusted by herself and by her past… if she could she would run away from herself. Why hadn't Jihae gone? Without a word one of Jihae's hands left hers, Winter feeling his touch again when he lightly grasped onto the bottom of her mask. Winter didn't stop him as he slowly pushed the mask upwards, the item disguising her features sitting on the top of her head as he gazed at her face. Winter knew he could see the tears falling down her round, pale face and she made no attempt to wipe them away. She felt his hand cup her face, lifting it up. Reluctantly Winter found herself raising her eyes, her ocean blue eyes falling into his. He kept his gaze with her; it was as if he was searching her soul, putting together the pieces to a broken puzzle that still missed pieces.<br>"From the small time we've got to know one another I know you have a good heart… you've overlooked my flaws so why shouldn't I do the same in return for you?" Jihae quietly said and Winter's eyes closed for a second before looking him back in the eye.  
>"It's different though…" Winter protested but she was silenced by Jihae placing a finger on her lips, his touch grazing over the scar on her upper lip to the right.<br>"How did your mother end up here? She is not like us" Jihae asked and Winter parted her lips for a moment, surprised in the change of subject.  
>"I… she… she got here a similar way we did, the wizard" she told him.<br>"I don't remember exactly what the deal was between him and I but it worked and I managed to get her here safely" she continued on but she fell silent.  
>"Why did you not approach her?" Jihae pressed, his brow rising for a moment.<br>"She does not remember me or her past life… I asked for her animal features to be removed and her memories to be changed. I've watched her from afar, she seems happier now" Winter quietly said, her lips trembling at the reminder. She knew it was cruel of her to take away her memories and throw her into a different world with little clue to what had happened to her but after watching her for a while she was confident she had done the right thing.  
>"I don't want to ruin that for her" she added onto it. Jihae glanced at her leg and her torn up clothing, trying to put more pieces together.<br>"Is this the price you paid for doing that?" he quietly asked and Winter awkwardly looked away, giving no response.

Gently Jihae pulled her into an embrace and although Winter was tense at first she embraced him back, comfortable showing her vulnerability in front of him.  
>"How did you end up here?" Jihae softly asked and Winter sighed.<br>"It's a long story…" she warned him and she felt Jihae nod his head.  
>"We can speak of it another time, come let us get home. You're freezing" Jihae said and Winter was relieved. They parted from one another, Jihae standing himself up as Winter transformed back into a rabbit.<br>"Will you tell the others?" Jihae quietly asked as he picked up Winter, stepping back to grab the basket. Instead of placing Winter back in the basket he kept a hold of her in one hand, keeping her close to his chest.  
>"I do not think so, I want to start anew… plus I do not want to panic them, they will certainly know who I am based on my clothing. I am strong enough to use my human form now, I will be able to move on and live my own life soon" Winter replied after a moment of thinking.<br>"That is probably wise" Jihae hummed to her answer, a tiny smile on his face but it seemed forced, as if parts of her words had made him wonder something. Winter relaxed into him as she ignored it, thankful for once in her life someone accepted her for who she truly was and not for someone she was supposed to be.


	8. Chapter Eight

Christmas was something Winter had never experienced; she had heard stories about it when out and about so she kind of understood what the whole deal was concerning it. Winter had slept the night away pretty peacefully; for once it wasn't filled with the same nightmare that had been plaguing her for months on end. Jiyeon had awoken her that morning, the cat loudly talking with Jisoo. Winter figured the orange cat was trying to talk him into going out with him but Jisoo remained stubborn, refusing his offer. Jihae and Jieun had left 20 minutes ago, deciding to go on a walk together. They had both offered Winter to join them but she declined, insisting that they needed to spend some time together. She had no idea what happened to Jiwoo, he was probably out on some crazy meeting or something.  
>"Oh… where is everyone?" Heejung had asked when entering the living room, blindly looking around and only noticing Winter sitting on the couch. The black rabbit looked towards the door, sighing before turning to face her.<br>"Jihae and Jieun have gone out together to the park, Jiyeon has gone out to meet with people. I don't know what happened to Jiwoo but Jisoo said he'll be back soon" Winter quietly replied and Heejung was surprised to hear her speak for the first time. She managed to recover herself, closing her gaping mouth.  
>"Oh I… I was hoping to have everyone together to bake a cake…" Heejung told her, her voice sad. Winter frowned at this,<br>"We do not have Christmas in our world, I guess the others did not know it is a special time of year for you humans" Winter explained as she watched Heejung walk over to the kitchen to make breakfast.  
>"Do you want anything?" Heejung called and Winter got up, leaving the couch with difficulty and awkwardly hobbled over to the kitchen.<br>"No thank you, I ate with Jihae and Jieun early this morning" she politely told her, her ears picking up as she watched Heejung wash her hands and start to pull ingredients out of the fridge.  
>"So how come you're not out?" Heejung casually asked, looking down at the black rabbit who watched her with slight interest. Winter wiggled her left hind leg with a suggestive expression.<br>"I can hardly walk as it is… plus I have no crutches or clothing to enjoy the day as a human" Winter told her and she forced a laugh, sitting herself down on the floor. Heejung paused as she looked away thoughtfully, rubbing her chin in the process.  
>"Would you say you're my size?" Heejung asked and Winter tilted her head to the side.<br>"Pardon?" she replied in confusion.  
>"If you think you're around my size you can borrow some clothing. I'm afraid I can't help you with the crutches" Heejung suggested and Winter kept quiet as she thought for a moment.<br>"Are you sure?" Winter softly asked and Heejung brightly smiled, nodding her head.  
>"Thank you Heejung, I owe you one" Winter softly said when she noticed the motion from Heejung.<br>"It's no big deal, take what you want from my closet. Hey if you want you can bath in peace seeing that Jiyeon is out… if you need any help you can just call me" Heejung chirped and Winter thanked her again, heading to her bedroom.

Winter had never stepped foot into Heejung's room before but she wasn't surprised by how plain it looked; everything there served a purpose whether it was books, a vanity table or the painting set on one side of her table. Carefully Winter transformed, awkwardly taking off her mask and glancing at the door she had shut behind her. She doubted Heejung would enter without knocking first in case Winter had decided against taking a bath. Winter tried to balance herself in a kneeling position as she opened the wardrobe doors, peering into it with a questioning expression. Her clothing was well organised and mostly smart dress. Winter assumed most of her clothing was average price – nothing cheap and nothing extremely expensive besides one or two smart dresses. Winter wasn't certain what she should wear but she decided on some dark trousers, a plain white top and a blue jumper. She frowned when she couldn't find any hats… she'd have to think later about how to hide her ears. For now she knew she would be safe leaving them showing around the house. With a shrug of her shoulders she pulled off her backpack, a grimace on her face as she tugged at the tough latches to open it. She ignored the small jewellery boxes and purse that sat at the bottom of it and pulled out two hard cases. As she did that her fingers rubbed against soft fabric making her pull it out. It was a deep blue thick ribbon she had used a few times on missions to hide her ears. A timid smile crossed her lips remembering it was a gift from her mother; although it pained Winter to force her ears under the ribbon when she made it into the headband and even more when she skilfully twisted it with her ears to make it into a bow she nodded her head, knowing this would have to do if she planned to go outside. A bitter expression crossed Winter's face as she pulled the daggers from her waist, carefully placing them in their boxes. She pulled off the mask on her head, putting all the items into the backpack. She didn't want Heejung seeing them when she headed to the bathroom… as for her current clothing she decided she could probably get away with wearing it. Winter frowned wondering how she would get to the bathroom in the first place. Her expression hardened, shoving the clothing she had taken from the wardrobe into the bag, half of the jumper sticking out of the top. She slung the bag back onto her back, shutting the wardrobe doors as she awkwardly crawled to the door. She opened the door, quickly transforming to hobble across the room and into the bathroom. Winter sighed in relief as she transformed once again, shutting the bathroom door and locking it shut. She slowly pulled the bag off her back again, a joint or two clicking in protest as she pulled the new clothes out. Even though Jihae had been kind in bathing her as a rabbit she was thankful to bath as a human for once, the feeling between the two much different. She turned on the tab, her body relaxing as she listened to the sound of running water. A small, timid smile crossed her lips as she prepared to take a bath.

Winter was surprised to see Jihae back without Jieun as she left the bathroom in rabbit form. She heard Jisoo and Heejung talking among themselves in the kitchen but she paid them no attention as she hobbled across to where Jihae sat on the couch with a smile. She thanked him as the man grasped her with his large hands, setting her on the couch next to her. She glanced over into the kitchen where the other two were now looking in her direction and with an indifferent hidden look Winter transformed herself, her eyes quickly landing on her own hands.  
>"Thank you again Heejung for the clothing, I hope I haven't chosen anything you wouldn't want me to" Winter politely said, keeping her eyes fixed on her hands.<br>"No no it's fine!" Heejung chirped in reply. The room was quiet for a moment and Winter felt herself tensing, slightly uncomfortable at the situation. Jisoo murmured something, Winter didn't quite make out what but Heejung and Jisoo went back to talking, the bangs of cooking items being heard. Winters eyes stayed open as Jihae placed one of his hands onto hers, trying to comfort her. She looked up into his eyes, relaxing down as he gave her a strong, supportive smile.  
>"I've got something for you" Jihae quietly said, his hand leaving hers as he stood up and walked forward towards the door leading out, grasping something Winter never noticed.<br>"Crutches… but how did-" Winter whispered in surprise and Jihae's warm smile paused her sentence as he handed them to her.  
>"Would you do me the honour of accompanying me out?" he asked, his voice soft. Winter sat there stunned for a moment; what was he planning? Weakly Winter nodded, awkwardly standing herself up with the help of the crutches. She was slightly shaky at first, finding it hard to find her balance.<br>"Rabbit do you think that's a good idea?" Jisoo asked from across the room and Winter looked across to the cat who was watching them both with questioning eyes.  
>"I'll be fine Jisoo, worry not" Winter quickly responded and the cat turned his nose up.<br>"I wasn't worried" he sharply replied, his eyes defensively looking at Winter. Winter remained quiet at his response and watched as Jihae walked across the room to the door, opening it and walking back to Winter. Carefully he loosely linked his left arm with her right arm as he helped her walk out of the door, leaving the house without another word.


	9. Chapter Nine

It was surprising how quiet the streets were; most if not all people were inside with their families celebrating the day together. They both remained quiet as they slowly walked down the snow covered path, Winter easily getting accustomed to the crutches.  
>"This is not the first time you've used them" Jihae noted as if reading her thoughts and Winter smiled, lighting her face up with some force.<br>"No, I've been in this situation a few times though I've always had two legs before" Winter responded with a joke, keeping the moment light-hearted as she tried to forget the past. Winter noticed the sympathetic glance Jihae gave her and she gently laughed, her mood brightening up as she was glad to be outside today instead of being stuck inside. She always disliked being kept inside; it left her struggling to breathe, as if the walls were constantly closing in on her. It felt like a cage…  
>"Don't look so gloom Jihae, anyway how did you get a hold of these?" Winter continued on, changing the subject and although Jihae noticed her intention he didn't refuse it.<br>"It's surprising what props you can find at work, they didn't mind me asking to take them" he informed her and a blush graced Winter's cheeks.  
>"You didn't need to get me them. How did you know I was willing to accept them?" Winter softly said and it was now Jihae's turn to smile.<br>"I didn't know, I just hoped" he said with a small laugh and Winter's eyes glistened in amusement.  
>"So tell me, what do you have in mind? Are we to meet with Jieun?" Winter asked in curiosity and Jihae looked ahead, steering her in the direction of the city.<br>"We'll be meeting with Jieun later… as for now we're going shopping" Jihae said as he smiled down at her and Winter frowned.  
>"I haven't had time to sell my items for money yet" Winter confessed, thinking of the rare jewellery that remained in her bag. Jihae seemed unfazed by this as the smile remained on his face.<br>"Worry not I have enough money" he comforted her and Winter frowned even more.  
>"Jihae you-" Winter started to argue, not wanting him to spend money on her but he laughed silencing her.<br>"It's technically your money, it's the extra money work paid me for allowing you to model with me" Jihae told her and Winter felt parted. She didn't feel she earned the money but she knew Jihae wasn't going to change his mind so she sighed, shaking her head.  
>"Thank you" was the only words Winter could think to say.<p>

The city was busier than the streets they walked down; odd men and women raced around to different shops while a few lonesome people sat quietly in restaurants and coffee shops.  
>"It is surprising they keep the shops open, from what I've heard Christmas is a huge thing" Jihae lowly said and Winter nodded in agreement, reading the expressions of people who she walked by without being noticed. There was a mix of emotions among those who were in the city today, some she wished she didn't notice.<br>"I guess it is a place for people to be when they have nothing to celebrate" Winter quietly said as she spotted an extremely glum looking old man through a coffee shop window. Jihae looked across to where the man sat and looked away, not wanting his mood to drop.  
>"They are not much different from us" Winter continued to talk on and Jihae raised an eyebrow at her misplaced words.<br>"They live a very similar life to us though our way of living is more… medieval from what I can tell" Winter slowly explained, her words low as she tried not to be overheard from people passing by.  
>"Although it is questionable if it is truly balanced there is a lot more equality among the people no matter their gender or class… well more equality than our world" she continued on but she found herself pausing when she noticed a shadow crossing Jihae's expression.<br>"Forgive me" Winter quickly added, her eyes casting to the floor as she continued to swing in time with her crutches to keep walking forward.  
>"I did not mean to offend" she softly said and she felt Jihae's spare hand land on her arm linked with his, gently rubbing it in a tender way.<br>"None taken" she heard him murmur back but she found it hard to believe his words.  
>"Y'know" Winter mumbled after a few moments a silence, the pair of them wandering into a clothes shop. She remained silent as they passed a few people in the store, heading straight to the women's clothing. Once she was comfortable with no one else being in hearing range did she continue to speak.<br>"There are worse things that could have happened then being silver. Black is considered an omen, a taboo among my peers. They say that the soul and spirit is a never ending pit of darkness, a rabbit to have the colour of mine is destined to the darker side of life" she said as quietly as she could, fumbling clothing as she passed tops and dresses. Now and again she would pause to eye up a piece of clothing but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere for the moment.  
>"They also say they are as pure as the white coloured rabbits" Jihae noted, as if knowing that information already. At the mention of the white rabbits she froze, her brows furrowing a few times before finally grabbing onto a dress of her choice and eyeing it up.<br>"It is strange how the prince is not like any other" Winter offhandedly murmured.  
>"He has been lucky" Jihae said, unsure of where the topic was going. Winter's eyes fell onto his, her lips twitching as if wondering how to voice her next words.<br>"Or sheltered. Your protection over him does not go unnoticed" she finally managed to say but Jihae knew she wanted to say more.  
>"I have seen many horrors as I'm sure you have, I wish to protect him and his innocence" Jihae said and with those words Winter saw a barrier fall from his eyes, as if one of his protective layers had fallen down for her. A weak smile fell on her lips but she couldn't help but feel parted.<br>"I know that look" Jihae softly said with a sigh.  
>"You too wonder if it is a good thing or a bad thing. Many years I have pondered if I should protect him from the world or should I educate him in a hope of a better future" Jihae continued on and Winter was thankful that he felt the same way she did.<br>"I doubt there is ever a right way around it" Winter honestly said, her eyes turning back onto the dress. Winter wanted to say more on the topic but with people wandering closer by she put the thought to one side, placing a smile on her face as she looked back at Jihae.  
>"What do you think?" she asked, hinting towards the dress. Jihae too placed a smile on his face, knowing that he was being watched by people who noticed and recognised him.<br>"I think it would look wonderful on you" he honestly said and without another word he took the dress from her grasp, carrying it for her as they continued to shop for clothing.

Several hours later and they were sat in a small, empty café with only two other customers. One man sat at a tiny round table with a cup of coffee at the side of his laptop. He dressed in a black suit, a high class man Winter assumed, and his brows were constantly furrowed as he worked hard on a project. At the other side of the café sat a woman… no, sat her mother. A look of wonder, confusion and loneliness was spread across her face as she tried her best to focus on the book in her hands. It was a book based on animals, rabbits to be exact Winter noticed and she softly smiled to herself knowing although she had lost her memories and her past she was now in a safe place. She was dressed snuggly in thick clothing, Winter always remembered her disliking the cold. Winter was similar to her although she was long used to the cold, endless nights out in the rain and snow making her strong and able to withstand the temperature.  
>"We can leave if you are uncomfortable" Jihae whispered from beside her and Winter jumped, falling out of her thoughts and back into reality.<br>"No it is quite alright, Jieun is due to arrive at any moment anyway" Winter quickly responded, giving him a strong smile. Jihae placed his hand onto hers in support, his eyes questioning if she was truly ok with being here.  
>"Honestly Jihae it is fine, I am just relieved and thankful that she is safe" Winter softly told him and Jihae nodded, relaxing down as he looked at her. Winter turned her gaze away from the woman, taking a deep breath as she looked at the menu in front of them. They had agreed to wait for Jieun before ordering but she still hadn't decided what she was having, to tell the truth she didn't really care what she had.<p>

It wasn't long until Jieun arrived and the three of them enjoyed a small meal together. Winter wasn't all too surprised about Jihae choosing this café after spending some time there, it was extremely quiet and people kept to themselves rather than being obnoxious. Winter enjoyed the company of the two, even with Jieun being lost in his thoughts most of the time. Winter wasn't sure whether she should envy his perception on the world or not; he seemed so free and carefree but while in his company she couldn't help but analyse him. There was an odd spark in his eye and his manner and it unsettled her, making her curious and weary to what triggered it. She would figure it out one day but for now she would enjoy her time here while she could.


	10. Chapter Ten

Christmas was long over and Winter found herself in mid-January, longingly looking through the days newspaper. She wasn't one to read much, her time often limited when she lived in Grass, but she had come to a point in the human world where she needed to.  
>"What are you looking for?" Jieun had asked when sitting next to her, a curious expression on his face. At his words Heejung and Jihae glanced over, both of them also curious about the odd behaviour. The other animals were already out for the day, their actual whereabouts unknown to them all.<br>"I'm looking for a job" Winter confessed to them, flipping over another page as her eyes slowly scanned the writing in hope.  
>"Why?" Jieun asked in a confused tone and Winter paused, placing a finger where she stopped reading to look at the young prince. His red sparkling eyes showed his lack of knowledge and innocence; Winter doubted the young prince had ever done a single thing that required effort.<br>"I will need money to rent or buy a home of my own. I cannot stay here for much longer" Winter explained to him, her reasoning made as plain and simple as possible for him to understand.  
>"Oh there's no need to rush! I don't mind you staying here" Heejung politely objected but she frowned, her head tilting to the side.<br>"Plus it's not like you need to settle down here, won't you be returning home at some point?" Heejung continued on but she regretted her words as the atmosphere around them became tense and still. Winter painfully closed her eyes at the mention of 'home', something she had been trying to forget since arriving here. She looked across to the human, forcing a smile on her lips.

Winter didn't want to explain how she had come to this world or why, she had only entrusted Jihae with most of the information. She didn't dislike or distrust Heejung, it was more the fact that she wanted to start anew and forget that the past was something that had once existed.  
>"I will not be returning to my world, I am to live among the humans" Winter finally managed to say in reply, wanting the topic to drop and move along but Heejung was oblivious to the silent request.<br>"But what of your family and friends?" she asked in curiosity and instead of Winter glaring at her in annoyance she just deeply sighed.  
>"I have none" she blankly claimed, giving no more information about her background and Heejung finally got the hint, knowing the topic was off limits.<br>"What about you two then, are you going to stay?" Heejung slowly asked when turning her attention to the two males. Winter was also slightly curious to how they would respond to her question; Winter already knew what their outcomes would be. A look of sorrow passed onto Jihae's face at the question and Winter noticed the man and even the young prince bite back their feelings.  
>"It seems that the winner has already been chosen… we will be staying here" Jihae slowly said.<br>"Winner? Winner to what? That game you spoke of when transforming?" Heejung asked in confusion.  
>"Eddie I want to go home…" the young prince quietly whined at the mention of their future and Jihae shook his head, his head tilting downwards in defeat.<br>"So the winner gets to go back to your world?" Heejung worked out, hoping she was correct.  
>"Their wish will come true" Jieun stated and Heejung looked between the two male rabbits, letting out a frustrated sigh as she turned her attention back to Winter.<br>"Can you explain any of this? I've asked before but it's a breach of their contract…" Heejung asked out of frustration but Winter offhandedly shrugged.  
>"I'm sorry Heejung but I can't do that. Even if I am not a part of the game I am unable to explain. It would put me in a lot of trouble and possibly cause issues for the others" Winter honestly answered told her and Heejung deeply sighed, clenching her hands.<br>"Did you have to play a game before you came here?" Heejung asked throwing Winter off guard for a moment but she was quick to recover, knowing she was trying another way of gaining information.  
>"Not to come here but around a year ago I did" Winter carefully said, only giving her a small response.<br>"So you won then? Was your wish to come here?" Heejung continued to push but she fell silent as Winter sharply looked at her deep in the eye, her eyes narrowing. At this point Heejung knew she had pushed her limits and crossed the invisible line. The black rabbit turned her eyes away from her, grabbing her crutches before standing up.  
>"I know this is very confusing for you and I'm sorry I can't explain more" Winter emotionlessly spoke, her words plain and clear.<br>"You should not chase for answers, it will lead you down a dark and dangerous road" Winter advised her, moving towards the door to leave the apartment.  
>"I need some fresh air, I'll be back later tonight" she told them. With some difficulty Winter slipped through the door, leaving the three in the room without another word.<br>"Did I upset her?" Heejung worried asked but she already knew the answer as Jihae grasped onto his hat, fixing it onto his head to hide his ears away.  
>"No it is fine, I'll go and find her to make sure she's safe" Jihae said, a protective tone lingering in his voice. Heejung awkwardly nodded before watching him leave.<br>"Eddie cares…" Jieun murmured.  
>"What?" Heejung replied, half listening to him.<br>"Eddie cares about her…" Jieun spoke again with a thoughtful look. Heejung assumed that the young prince was joyful about it by the small smile on his lips but it didn't quite match his eyes that seemed distance and slightly sad. Heejung had asked what the young rabbit meant but it was a lost cause, Jieun was already lost in thought as he looked out of the window.

A smile of relief spread across Jihae's face as he finally caught up with the hobbling woman. To little surprise he found her sitting herself down at the park, a look of confusion and pain on her face. Jihae could tell she was fighting a battle in her head, neither side winning to settle her.  
>"You should not have come" Winter said but when she looked up at the man who now stood in front of her she wore a warm, welcoming smile.<br>"I'm glad you're here though" Jihae heard her say as she patted the space besides her. The man took a seat next to her, a smile of his own on his face as he slung an arm around her shoulders. Winter instantly scooted closer to him, feeling the body warmth between them. She lowly breathed out, being next to Jihae made her feel relaxed and comfortable.  
>"I'm sorry for leaving" Winter apologised as she rested her head on his shoulder. Jihae stiffened at the motion for a moment, his mind protesting but his heart felt at ease making him accept her.<br>"The reminder of wishes just… made me feel uncomfortable" she confessed to him, wanting to open up to him. Jihae hummed in agreement and support, hoping it would encourage her to keep talking and put trust into him.  
>"I have been on both ends" she started,<br>"I have both won and lost" Winter admitted. Jihae was surprised by her words, she had never mentioned anything more than wishing her mother's safety.  
>"I have also seen others have their wishes granted and dismissed" Winter found herself saying without a pause.<br>"How so?" Jihae pondered aloud and she weakly looked at him; one side wanting to explain to him and the other side wanting to flee and forget.  
>"You see many things as a spy and a…" Winter tried to answer but she sighed.<br>"To see the wizard as often as I did and watch him interact with those who visited him was… It was overwhelming" Winter revealed. Jihae wasn't sure how to react to her words… how did her and the wizard cross paths so many times?  
>"May I ask what you won and lost?" Jihae gently questioned, wanting to understand her.<br>"You already know what I won" Winter suggested,  
>"What I lost…?" she breathed, her body starting to tremble.<br>"I lost a friend, a choice… part of my memory…" she informed him. Although Jihae wasn't entirely sure what she was on about he pulled her even closer to him, the rhythm of her heart being felt on his side.  
>"Jihae…" she mumbled, her eyes set onto his. She kept her eyes meaningful as she spoke,<br>"I hope your wish is worth the trouble it may bring" Winter told him. Jihae was taken aback by her words, shocked even. He was confused to why she said that; surely having your wish granted was a good thing… right?


	11. Chapter Eleven

A bitter sweet smile fell on Winters lips as she looked off into the distance, trying to put her memories into place. She hated speaking of this, even the mere thought put her on edge.  
>"Although the task may not be simple the wish itself may seem worth it. Even I thought that when agreeing to it" she said, preparing to tell him one of her many dark secrets.<br>"I do not remember what my task was but I had completed it and got my mother here safely, I thought everything would be well afterwards… oh how wrong I was" she started, a breath of distaste escaping afterwards.  
>"Not even a week afterwards and I was in chains. For months on end I was caged like an animal and tortured. I had seen the cruelty of torture but to experience it from my own clan… the despair and pain left me in the wizards company for most of my time there. It was during then did I witness the gain and loss people received from him" she told him, never once turning to look him in the eye. A shiver trailed down her spine making Winter flinch.<br>"I watched as people wished for things based on their greed and guilt" she continued on, taking a moment to take a breath of air.  
>"That is why I arrived here in such a mess, before arriving here I was still stuck in that cage" she spat, shaking her head.<br>"Winter I'm sor-" Jihae softly said,  
>"That's not the worst part" she confessed, cutting him off in his words.<br>"Someone I know… knew… made a wish with the wizard" she quietly said, her eyes beginning to water as pain and agony scratched at her heart.  
>"Anna was her name, she had been a friend of mine for many years but had ended up imprisoned around the same time I had. They believed she was a part of my mother's disappearance… she… she requested my release to this world" Winter told him, her words becoming short and unbalanced.<br>"What was the price?" Jihae asked but deep in his heart he already knew the answer.  
>"Her life" she answered him, the tears building in her eyes finally rolling down her cheeks.<br>"I… I still can't believe she wished me to come here instead of herself. I did not deserve a second chance…" Winter told him, attempting to rub away the tears that stubbornly fell. A shiver ran through Jihae's body as he took in the information, he couldn't believe a life was lost to ensure that Winter would arrive here.  
>"Do you wish her to be alive again?" Jihae found himself asking, his own past and memories plaguing him.<p>

The mention of death, the wizard and wishes reminded Jihae of why he was here. The time he had spent with Winter had allowed him to push the thoughts and nightmares away but with the topic being so close to his past he couldn't keep them at bay anymore.  
>"No" Winter quietly said making him look at her wide eyed and surprised.<br>"Anna asked that I did not wish her back. I didn't understand why she said such a thing at the time but now I do…" Winter told him as she braved to look him in the eye.  
>"She wanted her sacrifice to have a meaning behind it, to make an impact. She has suffered enough, to bring her back to a world that treated her so harshly would only harm her further. What happened during her life would never erase – she would still be hunted for her 'crimes' and she would still be haunted by the past, present and future" Winter informed him, a weak smiling appearing on her pale lips.<br>"So I'll do the next best thing I can for her" Winter claimed making Jihae raise an eyebrow at her.  
>"I'll make her proud and live my remaining days as best as I can" she told him, the smile still on her face. Jihae was warmed by her words but he also found himself questioning his wish and beliefs. Was he doing wrong?<br>"Something is on your mind" Winter stated, watching the silver rabbit closely. She pushed her thoughts and emotions on hold as Jihae rubbed his temples in confusion. Winter knew she didn't have to tell him that she was there for him, her hand grabbing his was enough to show her thoughts.

Winter watched as the man crumbled next to her, his posture slumping as he opened up and showed his vulnerable side.  
>"Do you remember when a woman committed suicide in Grass?" Jihae quietly asked and Winter instantly knew who he was on about.<br>"She was meant to marry the oldest son of the Carrot family if I remember correctly" Winter informed him, thinking back at the reports the assassins would give when spying on people.  
>"Yes that's right" Jihae blankly confirmed.<br>"I remember that her parents did not approve of you and the feelings you had for one another" Winter slowly said,  
>"One of the assassins was assigned to watch over you both" she added on to explain her knowledge. Jihae wasn't surprised by that reveal, he knew people had spied and watched him since birth even in the darkest of shadows.<br>"Do… do I have the right to love another?" Jihae asked. The question was short and simple, as if he had been wondering it for quite some time. His eyes met hers, there was so much pain and guilt in there it almost made Winter flinch away.  
>"I am a sinner, I may not even have the right to love someone anymore" Jihae continued on as he looked away to his own feet, trying to search for an answer.<br>"I was the reason why she died, it is my entire fault" Jihae sourly said, his voice shaking. At these words Winter softly rubbed his hand, giving him the comfort he needed to be freed from his inner pain.  
>"It was no one's fault, it was her choice that drove her to it" Winter quietly said.<br>"Dwelling in your own guilt does not do you well" she told him but she read him well, understanding why this topic was so important.  
>"You wish to bring her back don't you… that is why you are here" Winter slowly said after a moment of silence, everything seeming to fall into place. Jihae nodded and Winter sadly sighed, embracing the man with her shaking body.<br>"Sometimes we think bringing them back is kindness, will make everything better… make the pain go away…" Winter spoke.  
>"But we'll never forget what has passed before. Although it goes against our feelings and hearts we just have to move on and honour them" Winter wisely said with a sad smile.<p>

Jihae felt as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he felt energised and relieved. He had never spoken to anyone about this let alone his own personal feelings.  
>"Thank you Winter" Jihae softly said, his eyes closing as he enjoyed her embraced.<br>"It was no problem… always know that I am here for you. This is a new world for us Jihae and we are here for a reason, even if the reason isn't clear to us yet" Winter gently claimed.  
>"I've been sent here to live a new life and you? You are here to decide if you'll chase your wish down and face the outcome of it or you are here to accept your past, release that guilt within and learn to love again. If anyone deserves to love then it is you, everything you have gone through would lead many down the wrong road but you… you are strong, loyal and protective. You did not let it corrupt you… I admire that" Winter honestly said. Jihae took in her words knowing that he'll have to choose a path and choose it soon. As he looked across at her he couldn't help but feel as if his heart had already chosen a path.<p> 


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve.**

Three days had passed and Winter entered the apartment with excitement in her eyes. Jieun also seemed happy as he left her side, setting a large package onto the coffee table in front of the sofa.  
>"Welcome back" Jihae politely greeted in a tired tone, still dressed in his work clothes. Winter thanked the man, knowing that he had only got home from work half an hour ago.<br>"So what's the exciting news?" Jihae asked, looking between the two rabbits and the package.  
>"Winter has an interview next week!" Jieun hummed in a cheery tone, the prince in a cheerful and excited mood.<br>"Well hopefully I will if I haven't lost my touch" she modestly said with a small smile, a blush gracing her cheeks. Jieun bounced onto the sofa that Jihae wasn't seated on, leaning forward to grasp the package.  
>"Can I open it?" he asked eagerly and Winter nodded, slightly surprised that the prince wanted to do something for himself instead of asking someone else. Winter sat herself next to the curious Jihae, tilting her head as the excited prince struggled with the tape. Winter removed the wide ribbon from her head, letting her ears free with a long sigh of relief. She rubbed them, the pair being sore from being stuck under the ribbon most of the day.<br>"So what are you trying for?" Jihae asked in curiosity and Winter sheepishly smiled, as if embarrassed about it.

At that moment Jieun pulled out a small violin case from the package, handing it over to Winter. She carefully unlatched the case, pulling out the brand new silver coated violin.  
>"I've applied to join a recording contract looking for a musician to make a record with their singer. I met up with the developer earlier and showed him some of my skill… he seemed interested" Winter told him and Jihae grinned.<br>"That sounds fantastic" Jihae praised.  
>"I'll be done by the summer too and I'll have enough money to rent a place of my own" Winter told him, unable to hold back her excitement. Winter plucked some of the strings, her ears twitching at the sound.<br>"I did not know you could play an instrument" Jihae noted, surprised that someone with her background could do such a thing. Winter awkwardly smiled, reading his thoughts like an open book.  
>"I learnt many things from my previous job" Winter hinted, briefly glancing at the young prince. The prince didn't know of her past and she didn't plan to tell him of it either – she was trying to start a new, fresh life now… everything that had happened before didn't matter anymore.<br>"I play a few instruments and have sung in the past. I mostly enjoy the violin and harp though, they have such beautiful sounds to them" Winter softly explained in a dreamy voice, slowly playing the strings as she tuned the violin by ear.  
>"The piece I was given to practice isn't easy though, I haven't played for around a year so I'm pretty nervous. I don't know if I'll be ready in a week but I couldn't let the opportunity pass" Winter said, shaking her head. Jihae supportively placed a hand on her knee, the feeling welcoming to Winter.<br>"You'll do fine, I know you will" he told her and she grinned, hoping he was right.  
>"Will you play for us?" Jihae asked and Winter blushed, lowly nodding her head as she finished tuning the instrument and begun to play a few tunes for them.<p>

Time went by in a blur and Winter found herself only having one more day to prepare for her interview. If it wasn't for Jihae she would have hardly slept or had food. The company she was applying for were nice enough to allow her to use one of the rooms in their company building, the black rabbit using it every day for hours on end to try and perfect her piece. Today was different though, Jihae had the day off from work and had joined Winter. He had claimed that he wanted to keep her company as she practice and Winter was thankful at the offer, wondering if he regretted it after they entered the building. The workers there clearly knew of him already, even the owner did as he greeted the pair as they headed to the spare music room. Jihae was polite in greeting them back but it was clear he was slightly uncomfortable at the attention, the feeling of being watched putting him on edge. They could hear the younger female workers gossiping as they went by, swooning over the tall silver rabbit with dreamy eyes. Their dreamy eyes soon narrowed in jealousy as they noticed Winter walking closely next to him. Winter brushed off the comments knowing there was no need to kick up a fuss.

A few hours had already gone by and Winter was playing some of her old songs to take a break from learning the song for the interview. Jihae was enjoying his time with her, the pair talking between each other as she played. They didn't take the topics too seriously until now.  
>"It's a relief that you've got the next few months planned out" Jihae commented as she played.<br>"Yeah" Winter breathed, a pleasant smile on her face when thinking about it.  
>"Even if they don't accept me tomorrow for the job I've seen other companies who are looking for musicians" Winter added on looking across to the man. She saw uncertainty in his eyes and also slight worry. Winter slowly plucked the company's harp in front of her, playing a soft, slow melody.<br>"What have you planned?" Winter asked in curiosity and Jihae's face hardened.  
>"I will not be returning home, I will be staying with the prince considering Jisoo has already won" he informed her with a low, quiet voice. Winter's eyes left him as she watched her hands playing the harp.<br>"That is very noble of you" Winter noted quietly.  
>"But besides from that I don't know what I'm doing" Jihae honestly said, brushing off the thought.<br>"Jieun has been acting distant, I'm worried he is upset with not winning the game… He's also been requesting that he wants to do things alone" Jihae continued on, rubbing his temples.  
>"He's getting older and if he's going to remain in this world then he'll have to learn to be independent" Winter said, pausing her playing as she looked at him.<br>"I know you mean well Jihae but it's time for him to experience things alone and face the terrors on his path. To shield him away from it will only make him suffer more later on. The best you can do for him is to be there for him when he needs you" she seriously said with a soft, gentle voice. A sigh of relief left her lips as the man nodded his head in agreement; she was thankful that she hadn't offended him with her words. The pair of them remained silent for a moment, brewing over their thoughts.  
>"How long do you have left?" Winter quietly asked, her voice so small and timid it surprised Jihae. The silver rabbit knew exactly what she was asking – how long did they have left until the winner was granted his wish.<br>"Until the summer" he answered her and Winter's body slumped in defeat, her hands falling to her lap.  
>"Oh…" she quietly whispered, her heart dropping.<br>"We do not have a lot of time left then" she implied but she already knew that her words were true.  
>"What do you mean? I'm only going to have a part of my memory removed…" Jihae said in confusion but he paused as Winter went back to playing the company's harp.<br>"That's the problem" she sadly said.  
>"Everything that has happened here will be removed. You'll forget about the game, about the other animals besides Jieun, about me…" Winter explained.<br>"You'll forget about your entire time here in this world and will be left confused" she summarised for him and the realisation hit him hard in the gut.  
>"I… oh… I see" Jihae mumbled, lost for words and Winter's eyes closed, trying to mask her feelings.<p>

Since arriving here Winter had told herself not to get close to anyone because she would leave as soon as she was recovered from her injuries… The problem was that she failed to follow her own advice; she was close to Jihae. As the time went by the bond between them grew stronger and stronger. She was constantly thinking of him, worrying… she couldn't deny that she didn't have feelings for him.  
>"Winter?" Jihae called and Winter jumped out of her thoughts, noticing that Jihae was kneeling besides her with a worried expression. Winter stopped playing the harp, a torn expression on her face.<br>"I…" she breathed, shaking her head.  
>"Its just that if I get this job then I'll only have Sundays off and…" she tried to explain but she fell silent as Jihae took a hold of her hands.<br>"… and I've enjoyed my time with you and the others. Letting go of my mother was the hardest thing and to see her now and again without her remembering who I am is heart-breaking. I…" Winter tried to explain,  
>"I'm just not looking forward for the same thing to happen again" she quietly said as she sadly tilted her head down<p> 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen. **

Winter shook her head as she confessed to him, feeling a little foolish. She knew something like this would happen if she got close to him and to wish she would not lose him was selfish of her.  
>"Who said you had to lose me?" Jihae piped in with a small, sweet smile and Winter furrowed her eyebrows, parted. She felt comforted at Jihae's words but she already knew it was not that simple.<br>"I can find a way around the memory loss, try and remember…"Jihae continued on in a hopeful tone but Winter merely sighed at his words, as if they had been spoken to her before by someone else.  
>"It doesn't work like that" she informed him, slightly pained by the thought.<br>"The memories that are removed can never come back, every trace of it will be removed from you" Winter told him with a quiet tone. The two remained silent for a moment and Winter moved herself out of the stool she sat upon, standing up beside his crouched form. Jihae stood up tall as Winter moved herself across the room, grabbing her violin as she stood herself by the window.  
>"Perhaps it is not as bad as it seems" she said after a moment, setting the violin in the crook of her neck.<br>"Perhaps it is a good thing you'll forget what has happened here" she continued on in a thoughtful tone, wondering if the words she spoke were true for herself. Jihae tilted his head at her words, watching as she turned her back to him to look out of the window. Winter placed her bow onto the instrument, slowly playing a tune.

Winter had found it hard to accept her mother's path, especially when she was imprisoned both mentally and physically. She closed her eyes as she played the violin, both pain and confusion on her face. She was thankful Jihae could not see her face.  
>"As children we were taught many things" Winter quietly said as she played, her voice strained as she spoke to the man behind her.<br>"The boys learnt to hunt and track while the girls were taught to cook, clean, spy and romance… As we grew older the things we were best at were picked out. We were forced to excel in those things, sometimes dropping other roles that we learnt since we were young. I remember overhearing that there would be a grand concert for the Duke of Grass in a few years' time" Winter continued on making Jihae frown.  
>"That was merely a year ago" he stated, knowing that events like that didn't happen often. The female rabbit in front of him nodded in agreement, confirming they were on the same page.<br>"It took six years to plan that concert" Winter told him, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips. Jihae was confused; why this topic? A shiver trailed down his back as she started playing another song, the tune familiar to him. Where had he heard that before? His body froze as he figured it out. The song she was playing was from the concert itself, the tune fluent.  
>"You were there when Lance Greyback was assassinated…" he murmured in surprise.<br>"I practiced the violin for many years, receiving the music scores some months before the event and being accepted into their organisation. I believe I was there…" she answered him, the song she moved onto next soft and slow.  
>"This is the piece we played as the final song in the concert" she told him, her voice seeming forced but controlled.<p>

Winter fell silent again leaving Jihae in confusion. He had learnt that Winter played the violin for the concert and he knew already that the concert itself was left in shambles. He wasn't there himself that dreadful night but he knew that the Duke was assassinated sometime during the event, the trace of his killer unknown. A wild goose-chase soon followed afterwards for the killer, spreading to different lands but they never did find them. Assassinations weren't too rare in Grass, targets often peasants paid by the higher class rabbits, but to target someone of such high status was unheard of.  
>"I don't understand where this is going" Jihae confessed to the woman with a sigh.<br>"I don't remember that night at all… all I remember is the songs that played that night" Winter blankly said as she finished her song, the violin remaining in the nook of her neck.  
>"Wait…" Jihae breathed in realisation, their past conversations playing in his mind.<br>"That's around the time you completed your task for the wizard for your mother…" Jihae said, adding the pieces together. Winter hummed to confirm his words, removing the violin from her neck. She fiddled with the instrument in her hands, her eyes opening as she looked down at it. She could feel Jihae's eyes on her back, burning into her very soul.  
>"I don't think you would have…" Jihae softly said but when she turned to face him he paused mid-sentence. Her face was pained, torn even as she spoke of that night.<br>"Killed a man? Trying to win a game the wizard makes can lead you to many things, things you are against. I can't help but wonder if the memory loss was a blessing or the wizard's sick way of entertainment" she honestly told him.  
>"If I wasn't imprisoned sometime after the event I think I would have spent many months trying to recover the memory…" Winter told him.<br>"I think I'm glad I don't know… and now that I'm here" she continued on.  
>"I don't think it matters. He was a crook, a rabbit that should have never gained Duke. Many times he paid for innocents to be murdered by the assassins…" she summarised, shaking her head with a distant look. Jihae analysed the woman in front of him with calculating eyes, his own thoughts disjointed at this story.<br>"I don't want to forget" Jihae noted after a moment. Winter frowned at this, did he not understand?  
>"You want to remember losing the game? Of not having your wish come true?" Winter cautiously asked, trying to get the point across.<br>"I want to remember you" Jihae told her with soft words. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, as if the words had wanted to come out for a long time.

Winter felt as if time slowed down, the warmth of the room turning cold against her skin. She let his words sink in, slight disbelief in her eyes.  
>"What? Why..?" she couldn't help but ask. She intently listened to him as he responded.<br>"Since… since she passed away I've felt so lost, as if my very soul left my body when she left the world I lived in…" he started off, shaking his head to rid his thoughts.  
>"But you…" he breathed, moving towards her. In a swift motion he took away her violin and bow, setting it onto the window ledge next to her. Gently he took her hands into his, looking down at her with soft, thoughtful eyes.<br>"You changed everything. My soul never left me; it was caged inside grief and sorrow. You made me see clearly, made me feel more than that. I… I don't want to go back to that life. You always speak of starting anew, that you've been given a second chance. I want to do that, I want to start fresh and make her sacrifice one she would never regret…" he spoke, catching his breath at the end.  
>"And I… I want you in my life" he finally finished off. Winter looked up at him, her eyes bright. Over the small time they had known each other they had both changed; Winter couldn't help but feel it was for the better. She closed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head down.<br>"It won't be easy" she softly warned him.  
>"I'll be a complete stranger to you; you won't feel the way you do now… telling you after you lose your memory will not go too well. You'll be confused and distressed…" Winter slowly told him, as if giving him his final chance to back out of his choice.<br>"We'll figure something out" Jihae told her in comfort but his voice was slightly strained, afraid of what was to come.  
>"Are you sure?" she couldn't help but ask.<br>"I'm certain" he confirmed, pulling her into an embrace. Winter sighed in content as she embraced him back. She feared what was to come, she wouldn't deny it, but she was also curious to see what the next few months would bring. She also couldn't help but grow curious about what this truly meant; did he seek only friendship from here or was there more to it? Did he feel the same way as she was starting to feel about him..? Mentally she shook her thoughts away; it wasn't wise for her to dwell too deep in thoughts like that.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Chapter Fourteen.**_

Months passed and the characteristics of them all changed. The wizard's game was taking a toll on them all, even Heejung was growing frustrated and worn for she still knew little about it. Winter obviously knew what was to come soon but she felt strained, as if carrying a heavy burden. She had got the job she wanted, the hours long and painful but she knew it was worth it in the long run. She couldn't help but feel hurt though, she only had one day a week off and with Jihae working still the pair of them found it hard to spend time with one another but in the time they did spend together they were growing closer, the future becoming more worrying by the day.  
>"That's a wrap guys!" a deep, gruff voice spoke jumping Winter out of her thoughts. She rapidly blinked her eyes, glancing around the recording studio she sat in and sighed in relief. A greying, tall bulky man grinned in her direction, the owner of the voice pleased.<br>"Amazing work today Miss Winter, I think we've polished everything off. We're going to throw these tracks over to my editors and see what magic they can come up with" the man continued on and Winter tiredly nodded, standing herself up. She wobbled for a second, the long hours of sitting down making her unbalanced but she managed to keep upright. She had grown accustom to the false leg she was wearing even if it felt unnatural to her.  
>"I'll contact you in a month's time to give you the details on the results. We may need you to come in once or twice but other than that I think we're all done" the man said and Winter smiled.<br>"That sounds good" she breathed, rubbing the hat on her head. Her rabbit ears were in agony, having both a hat and headphones on was extremely uncomfortable for her. She moved across the room, placing her violin in its case before walking over to her boss. The pair of them shook hands, knowing they won't see one another for a while.  
>"Say Winter if this goes big would you be interested in coming back in a few months to work with us on another one?" her boss asked and Winter widely smiled.<br>"I'd be honoured to" she replied making the man before her widely smile in happiness. Both Winter and her boss said their farewells, the woman he hardly knew leaving the recording building with a slight hobble in her steps.

Winter was relieved to be heading home, the darkened sky confirming that the watch she wore told her the correct time. It was already one in the morning, the cold air sending shivers down her spine. She clenched her right hand around the handle of her violin case, her left hand pulling her coat closer to her body. It was surprising how cold May was at night… May, how the time quickly passed by her without much notice. She shook her head, noticing the apartment up ahead. A soft smile crossed her lips, the thought of Heejung's small apartment feeling welcoming to her. At that thought she slightly smiled even more, thinking of the feeling of returning to her very own home one day. A frown soon replaced her smile; would there be a Jihae to welcome her home when that happens..?

The rabbit skilfully hid her frown as she entered Heejung's apartment, her eyes instantly falling onto Jihae's form as he looked up from the couch.  
>"I thought you were working much later than this" Winter confessed, setting her violin to the side as she shrugged off her coat in a stiff manner. Winter wasn't surprised to see no one else around; Heejung was often going to bed early so she could study early in the morning while the animals were out and about trying to live a life they didn't want to.<br>"I've quit" Jihae spoke dragging Winter out of her thoughts. She froze in her movements,  
>"Huh, why?" she responded in confusion. She tugged off her hat, her ears awkwardly springing anyway from the side of her head. She touched her right one, her eyes watering as pain shot through them. Jihae noticed her pain and sadly sighed, patting a place next to him on the couch. Winter moved over to him, sitting herself down as he slung an arm over her shoulders.<br>"It wasn't for me, I only did it for the money to ensure Jieun had a comfortable life while living here… plus if I'm to lose my memory soon then it's better to quit now than wait a few days before" Jihae truthfully said making Winter nod in understanding.  
>"How was your day?" Jihae asked, switching the topic and Winter allowed the changed of topic.<br>"It went well, the boss reckons I'm done for now… I'll know in a month if I need to go back at all" she told him, closing her eyes briefly as Jihae pulled her closer to him. The man smiled at this, frowning to himself as he noticed Winter reopen her eyes to grab the magazine nearby. He had forgotten to put it back where he found it. Winter knew what this magazine was; she had got it herself a few weeks back.  
>"Curious about houses?" Winter casually asked, flicking it open to a bent page. Jihae stiffened for a moment as she looked over the houses but he soon relaxed.<br>"I'll need some place to stay once… once the game is over" he told her and Winter tilted her head to the side for a second in confusion.  
>"One bedroom?" she asked and Jihae sighed, removing the arm around her shoulders to rub his temples while leaning slightly forward. Winter grew concerned at the motion, knowing something was wrong.<br>"Yes… Jieun wants to be independent and live alone. He's found some family to live with too, very nice people when I met them a few days back" he told her and Winter gently sighed.  
>"I'm sorry Jihae, I didn't know" she softly spoke, lightly placing her hand on his arm. Jihae froze for a moment, moving after a few seconds to take her hand into his. He gently rubbed them, forcing a smile on his lips. Jihae and Jieun still had a strong bond between them, they always would, but Jihae knew he could no longer hold onto his past and the Prince.<br>"It's quite alright Winter, we plan to visit often" Jihae told her in a comforting manner but he wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort her or himself.

Winter decided to expand no more on the topic of Jieun, not wanting to upset the man. She couldn't help but wonder how that would work out; surely Jieun and Jihae would want to remain together once their memories at Heejung's were removed. Winter squeezed his hands with her own, looking him in the eye.  
>"Y'know you can always stay with me until… until you're ready to move on" Winter quietly suggested making Jihae look at her in surprise.<br>"I've offered the same thing to the other animals. I've managed to earn enough money for a three bedroom house so I'd have enough room for a few of you. Plus you lot may find comfort living with another animal once the game is over" Winter continued on and Jihae pondered to himself for a moment, briefly nodding his head.  
>"That is very kind of you, I'll keep it in mind" he simply replied making her smile.<br>"What house did you decide on?" Jihae added on and Winter flicked a few pages, landing on one that had several blue circles across the page.  
>"This one, it's just out of the city and it has plenty of farmland around it. I'll be visiting it on Saturday to look at it" Winter told him, pointing at a few of the pictures. It was quite a modern looking two-floored house but Winter wanted to visit it to make sure it was what she wanted.<br>"Do you fancy joining me?" she added on making Jihae smile at her invite.  
>"I'd love to, perhaps have dinner somewhere afterwards?" he murmured making Winter eagerly nod.<br>"Sounds great."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_**Chapter Fifteen.**_

Winter was in high spirits Saturday morning as she got herself ready for the day ahead. She wasn't sure what she was more excited over; the fact that she was viewing a house today or that she was spending the whole day with Jihae. It had been so long since they had spent time together, their work often getting in the way but now since none of them worked it meant that there was no longer a problem. Winter wasn't the only one in high spirits, Jihae was merrily whistling to himself as he waited for Winter, grabbing a hat to hide away his ears.  
>"Eddie can you pass me that please?" Jieun softly asked, pointing to an item on the dining table that Winter couldn't see. Jihae did so without a word to the young prince, politely nodding his head to him.<br>"You two seem cheery today" Heejung noted, yawning to herself as she watched the two in her apartment. Winter smiled to the younger woman, telling her about the house they were viewing in a matter of hours. Heejung seemed impressed by this news but there was a small sadness radiating around her, as if something she cherished was slowly slipping away from her.  
>"You'll come and visit, right?" Heejung asked, hope evident in her voice.<br>"Of course! It's not super far away!" Winter automatically responded with a grin but without her seeing it slowly faltered. How would things be once the game is over? Would Heejung even be the same person anymore? For now Heejung seemed relieved by her reply and happily moved to the kitchen to join Jisoo who impatiently watched her, his eyes often falling onto the fridge.  
>"Ready to go?" Jihae asked, his lip slightly curled at the sight of Jisoo. Jihae's eyes soon fell onto Winter, his features softening into a smile. Winter nodded at him, shuffling over to the door in eagerness.<br>"We'll be back later tonight, don't worry about dinner for us Heejung!" Winter called out while leaving the apartment. Jihae gave her a wave of goodbye, gently patting Jieun's shoulder as he followed Winter out.

A wide grin was constantly on Winter's face as they walked side by side to the estate agents. They kept their arms linked as they walked, the morning sun feeling welcoming to them as they talked to one another. Their voices were low and soft, the comments by others easily overheard as they entered the more populated areas of the city.  
>"Isn't that the model? Didn't he quit his job?! It's all over the magazines this morning!" one girl gasped aloud, her eyes large and round. Jihae seemed unfazed by the comment about him; he had probably expected this sort of reaction from his fans.<br>"Oooh my goooooddd, isn't that the chick who's doing the music record with Classical Chem? I saw their blog a few months back when she was announced, she looks different to the picture they posted" another girl commented as she looked Winter up and down in a judgemental way. At this comment Jihae tensed under her touch, the female rabbit glancing at him in surprise. His expression was troubled, worried even but there was something there… something Winter couldn't quite figure out.  
>"Oh isn't he so handsome" another said as they continued walking. Winter gently placed her spare hand on his linked arm, gently squeezing it in comfort. Her grin had softened into a supportive smile, hoping that the comments were not troubling him too much.<br>"Not much further to go" she quietly informed him and Jihae seemed to relax from this information, a sigh escaping his lips.  
>"Are those two an item?" a male voice questioned to himself as he watched the pair several feet away, his staring obvious.<br>"Oh wow, do you think that's why he quit his job?" the male's partner chimed in afterwards, her red lips quirking to the side. Winter secretly rolled her eyes at the comment, shaking her head.  
>"Sometimes I can't wait to move, they're like cats… prying into everyone's business" Winter quietly murmured to the rabbit beside her making him lightly chuckle under his breath.<br>"I don't think I'll ever get used to it" Jihae commented making Winter nod in agreement. No matter how much time they had spent in this world they just didn't belong, their worlds were so different it made it hard to adapt. The rabbits knew they were different, outcasts even but there was so much freedom here and even acceptance to their flaws they couldn't help but want to belong.  
>"Ah there it is" Winter piped up, noticing a familiar building ahead. They were both relieved to enter the building, knowing that most of the eyes that watched them were gone.<p>

Winter couldn't help but feel surprised at how spacious the lobby room was, the building looking small from the outside. Only a few people patiently sat on the luxury sofas dotted in the room, some viewing magazines and others looking in their direction. Winter and Jihae approached the front desk, the middle aged man behind it jumping in surprise.  
>"A..o-oh… Hello! Welcome to our estate agents! H-how can I help you?" the man spoke, his movements more awkward than his words. Winter recognised the voice at once, it was the man she had spoken with on the phone to book an appointment.<br>"Good morning. I have a meeting with one of your estate agents…" Winter spoke but she paused as the man brightly flashed a professional smile, flinging himself to the nearby laptop.  
>"Ah yes… Miss Winter Tucker at 11:00am for a three bedroom house a few miles out of the city" he spoke, more to himself than to Winter and Jihae. The man backed away from the laptop, returning to his usual place to continue talking.<br>"I didn't believe it was you when you called for an appointment…" the man told her, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. Winter remembered the conversation they had on the phone; she had questioned the man there as to how he recognised her voice and he informed her of the vlogs and recordings the Classical Chem music group had done of her.  
>"Ah" the man said, clearing his voice as he got a hold of himself.<br>"If you'd like to get a seat I'll go find the agent who will be helping you today" the man continued on, glancing at the scattered sofas behind them. Winter politely thanked the man, turning to find an unoccupied sofa. Jihae nodded to the man and followed suit, his walk slightly stiff.

Jihae let out a low sigh as he sat himself left to Winter, watching the man hurry down one of the empty hallways to the offices. Winter raised an eyebrow at his sigh, wondering what was wrong with him.  
>"Looks like you've got yourself a fan" Jihae commented, tilting his head in the direction of the disappeared man. Winter picked up the lack of humour in his words… they seemed blank, cold… did it bother him?<br>"So have you" Winter said after a moment when she noticed a woman blankly staring at him, her face flushing as Jihae spotted her. Jihae shook his head, sighing to himself.  
>"There's nothing to be worried about" Winter told him in a joking manner, hoping to lighten up the conversation but he didn't seem to buy it as Jihae closed his eyes for a brief moment. He made no comment but Winter wondered why this bothered him. Was he worried about her? Winter could see protectiveness hidden in his eyes but why?<br>"Tucker… I've heard that before" Jihae softly said to her, hoping no one would overhear his words. Winter bowed her head down for a moment, as if biting back a memory linked to the name.  
>"It's my surname from Grass, I had to give one to make an appointment" Winter informed him and Jihae pondered for a moment, trying to grasp onto his own thoughts and memories. There was something about it that bothered him… he wondered if the other rabbits would recognise it. He doubted that Jieun would but Jiwoo… Jiwoo might know something about it. Jihae knew this wasn't the place to ask her more about it so he sat back, taking down a mental note to speak with Jiwoo or Winter about it soon.<p> 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen.**

As they approached the house Winter bit back her excitement. Although she feared the future she couldn't help but feel she could finally live a life she wanted; a life of freedom. She glanced across at Jihae, a blush creeping onto her face as she fell into his eyes.  
>"Sorry" she sheepishly apologised with a smile. The male rabbit shook his head, dismissing her words without much thought.<br>"Don't be, I'm glad to see you happy" Jihae honestly replied and Winter's face reddened even more. He found enjoyment out of other people's happiness but strangely Winter was much different… no, it wasn't strange, Jihae already knew the reason why. He bit back his sigh, glancing out the window to look at the house they were viewing. He was nervous about their meal tonight, he wanted to surprise her but he also wanted to talk to her seriously about the future.

They spoke with the estate agent for thirty minutes about the plot as they showed them around, the pair of them relieved when they were finally allowed to roam around the location alone. The agent remained by the car with the driver while Winter led the way to the house, her hand slipping into Jihae's as she pulled him along. The modern house was beautiful; Winter couldn't find a single fault with it. The surrounding land was welcoming too; hilled land with huge trees and high hedges. A part of her was longing to adventure those lands in her rabbit form but she shook her head, knowing it would be a struggle with only three legs.  
>"I'm surprised such a place hasn't sold already" Jihae murmured as he inspected the place with Winter, pleased that he had come with her today.<br>"So am I, this place is perfect for what I want. Large enough for guests, out of sight of neighbours… I'm tempted to put an offer on it already" Winter responded with a smile.  
>"What's stopping you?" Jihae automatically asked and Winter's smile slipped away, her eyes dropping to the floor.<br>"I… I'm just, I don't know… a little afraid I guess. I've never had a place to call home… plus the future is so unclear. I mean I have enough money to get this place and there's the possibility I'll get the same job back later in the year. Its just that…" Winter responded but she shook her head. She didn't want to finish her sentence; she was concerned about the results of the wizard's game, she was concerned about Jihae… Winter shrugged away her thoughts, placing a smile back on her face as she looked up at him.  
>"Maybe I'm just being silly" she said with a forced chuckle. Jihae took note that she didn't finish her sentence but he smiled down at her, ignoring it for now.<br>"If you feel this is the right place then go for it, this place will soon go if you don't place an offer on it" Jihae told her in a comforting tone and Winter nodded with his reasoning, it was nearly impossible to find a house out of the city.  
>"You're right, I just can't believe I'm really doing this" Winter quietly said making his smile soften.<br>"You're not alone doing this" Jihae softly told her, slinging an arm over her shoulders. She learned into his touch, a small timid smile crossing her lips but she knew this wasn't permanent, it won't be long until he forgets his year here… The pair of them spent a little longer looking around the place, Winter's mind made up as she spoke to the agent afterwards, agreeing to talk about prices back at the office.

It was sometime later when Jihae was leading Winter to the park, their arms linked together under the dimly lit streetlamps as they walked. Jihae had a pleasant smile on his face but Winter could feel slight tension under his touch, it was as if he was worried about something.  
>"I thought we were going out for dinner tonight?" Winter half asked, half stated as they walked. She knew Jihae wasn't super keen on the restaurants in the city; it wasn't the food that put him off but rather the people who would stare at him and comment about his appearance. In all honesty Winter didn't find them that great either, people knowing who she was when starting her job.<br>"We are" Jihae told her with a small chuckle, enjoying her confusion.  
>"But…" Winter murmured, looking around in her confusion. She knew there were no restaurants around here, she had walked down these streets many times.<br>"You'll see" was the only response Winter got from him about the dinner so she gave up, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

As they reached the park Winter's jaw dropped in awe, her eyes widening as she looked at the area in front of her. In the corner they were approaching the trees were covered in fairy lights, the soft blue colouring illuminating the large blanket and basket sitting on the floor underneath it. She couldn't believe he would do something like this for her, who had set it all up for them?  
>"Jihae…" she breathed in amazement but she couldn't find any more words to utter. No one had done something like this for her.<br>"Come, sit my lady" Jihae softly said as he directed her to the blanket. She followed his lead, sitting herself down next to him with a smile on her face.  
>"You haven't called me that since we first spoke" Winter immediately noted as she watched Jihae pull out two wine glasses from the basket. He paused in his movement, the two wine glasses still in hand as he thought about it. With a small chuckle he unfroze, passing a glass to Winter as he set the other one next to him. Carefully he pulled out a wine bottle, pouring the sparkling white liquid into Winter's glass before his own.<br>"Time has gone by so fast… it doesn't feel that long ago when Jisoo found you here" Jihae commented, brushing off her comment and Winter nodded in agreement. Time truly had gone by fast, especially when she spent it alongside Jihae.  
>"I've been here a few months now. You've been here nearly a year now" Winter replied without much thought but she regretted her words as Jihae tilted his head down.<br>"Yes…" he murmured, setting down the wine bottle to one side. He looked up at her, a forced smile on his lips.  
>"I… I was hoping to speak to you about that but it can wait until later. Come, let us eat this wonderful food" Jihae softly said as he turned his attention back to the basket. Winter couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to speak about it.<p> 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen.**

Winter sighed in content as she finished the meal, looking up at the darkening sky. She was thankful the weather was good otherwise Jihae's secret plan would have gone down the pan. Speaking of Jihae he was quiet throughout the meal, his brain going into overtime as he thought things through.  
>"Jihae you've been awfully quiet tonight" Winter spoke aloud, setting her empty plate and glass to one side out of the way.<br>"Is something troubling you?" she asked him, her eyes falling onto his form as she tried to make sense of the situation. He had been talkative and cheerful hours ago when looking at the house and talking in the office but as the day got longer he seemed to fall quieter and quieter.

Winter watched as the rabbit before her bowed his head down in a defeated manner, a long shaky breath escaping his lips. He looked lost and confused, something Winter was not familiar seeing on his face.  
>"Even though times were tough I always had a plan, had a reason…" Jihae started off, his voice low as he set his eyes on his own hands in his laps. He twiddled his fingers together, something Winter knew he did when he was unsure of things or worried.<br>"When I signed up for this I wanted to ensure Jieun had a good chance of winning the game, of being happy. Another part of me wanted to win too, to bring her back but after getting close to you I didn't feel the need to succeed… A part of me is sad that I'll never see her face again or tell her that I'm sorry… but I-I… I feel like I've failed him, failed Jieun" Jihae told Winter making her softly smile in understanding.  
>"You can't always do everything for him, this was something he had to do himself and didn't succeed in. It's ok to fail, it makes us wiser and stronger in the long run. At least he's living life and is happy… sometimes that's enough. I know he wanted his wish granted but… y'know…" Winter quietly said but she found herself lost for words, not really knowing what to say to comfort him. Jihae smiled slightly at her attempt but his smile fell, his head lifting to look ahead. Winter couldn't help but wonder why he avoided her eyes.<br>"At least we'll still be in the same world" Jihae offhandedly noted, some hope being put into his heart.  
>"But I don't feel that is my largest fear" Jihae added after a second making Winter tilt her head to the side.<br>"What do you mean?" she responded, curious to what he meant and Jihae froze for a second, battling with his thoughts.  
>"Jihae?" Winter almost whispered when noticing his reaction. Slowly she placed her hand onto his, the pair of them no longer twiddling together. Jihae's eyes flickered onto their hands, a pained expression falling onto his face.<br>"I…" he breathed, closing his eyes for a moment to collect himself,  
>"I'm worried about losing you" he blankly said making Winter frown.<br>"It'll be May tomorrow, one more month until… until…" Jihae quietly said, not finishing his sentence but Winter knew what he wanted to say.  
>"I've been trying to figure out a way around it, to remember the year here but I can't find a way without breaking the rules" Jihae honestly told her and Winter softly sighed.<br>"You still want to remember everything?" she asked but there was no surprise in her voice, she already knew the answer.  
>"Yes I want to remember… especially why I lost the game…" Jihae responded immediately. Winter couldn't help but now feel surprised at his response, it was as if he'd been thinking about his choice since having the discussion in the music room months ago.<br>"Isn't that going to distress you though?" she softly asked, referring to when he'd lose his memory. Jihae deeply breathed in, his eyes finally rising to meet with hers. Slowly he moved one of his hands away from hers, placing it onto her cheek.  
>"It will… but I want to remember I was given another chance if… if you feel the same way I do…" he said. His voice was so low and quiet it made Winter's heart melt.<br>"Wha-…" Winter breathed but she fell silent as Jihae's face inched closer to hers, their noses nearly touching. Instinctively Winter's eyes flickered onto his lips, returning to his eyes to watch hidden barriers fall from his eyes.  
>"These last few months have been hard, us both working long hours showed me how much I love spending time with you, being in your company. There are still many things I have to learn about you but I don't want to rush it… I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Not only as a friend but as… as a…" Jihae whispered, falling silent before he spoke the final word. Winter knew he was waiting for some kind of response from her, to confirm if she felt the same way towards him.<p>

As a young rabbit Winter found it hard to understand what love and companionship truly was. She was the rut in her family, often made the laughing stock of the town. Now and again she had found kindness in rare rabbits in Grass but she had never reached out to find anything more from them. Since coming to this world she had found companionship in the animals and even Heejung. This world was so surreal, so new that Winter had let down her barriers. She had learnt to feel again, to live a life she wanted. At first she wanted to cage away her developing feelings towards Jihae, her job the perfect distraction for it and with the final day slowly approaching she had wondered how that would influence her feelings for him. She never imagined that she would be in this situation, the male rabbit declaring he had feelings for her.  
>"Winter…" Jihae whispered, breaking her out of her thoughts.<br>"Are… are you willing to try?" he asked. The question seemed simple but in reality she knew it wasn't. She knew what he asked of her, was she willing to accept his love? Winter knew if she declined it would be the end of their friendship and they'd both be left with broken hearts but if she accepted… she'd have a blissful month with him, something she had longed for a while but then it would happen. He'd lose his memory and she'd be left with a man who didn't even know her name. Was she willing to go through all that pain, that heartache for the slim chance of him slowly accepting her as his, as someone he fell in love with? Winter pulled away from him slightly, closing her eyes as a pained expression fell on her face. She had let her mother go, something she believed would be for the best but it was one of her biggest regrets. She could have tried to be a part of her life again, if not as a daughter then as a friend. Could she let Jihae go? He had cared for her, supported her and even accepted her after telling him of her past. No… no that they got this close.  
>"Yes" Winter breathed. A small smile fell on Jihae's lips as they both leaned in closer, sharing their first kiss together.<p>

Jihae understood this was a hard choice for her, he didn't know what the answer would be but he knew he had to ask, had to try. If he was destined to remain in this world then there was a reason behind it, even if he couldn't see it he knew that there was a path he must walk along. He was thrilled that Winter was willing to try something that might end in chaos, something that none of them knew the result to. Their lips parted, the man wrapping his arms around her as he embraced Winter.  
>"Promise me something" he murmured,<br>"Promise me you'll never give up" he continued on. He felt as Winter's arms around him got stronger.  
>"I promise."<p> 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen.**

Heejung had a large smile on her face as she left her bedroom the next morning, glancing at her calendar on the wall in the living room. She pulled it off the wall, flipping the page to May. Most of her days were filled with school and art work. She grimaced, knowing she'd have to work extra hard this month.  
>"Hey, Foodgiver…what are you staring at?" the rugged voice of Jisoo spoke from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, grinning at the handsome black cat.<br>"Oh I was just changing the calendar to May" Heejung said, furrowing her brows as Jisoo's expression changed.  
>"What's the matter?" she innocently asked, placing the calendar back onto the wall to turn to face him.<br>"N-nothing, hey… what's for breakfast?" Jisoo instantly responded, changing the topic before Heejung had a chance to dig deeper. It seemed that it work for Heejung shifted her weight onto one side of her body, humming in thought.  
>"Don't know, let's go and look" she told him, glancing at the sofa as she walked into the kitchen.<p>

Jisoo followed closely behind, his stomach rumbling at the thought of being fed. He was starving, heck he was always hungry. He was not used to being so well fed, he wasn't this fortunate back at home.  
>"What's up with those two?" Heejung couldn't help but ask, tilting her head to the sofa. Jisoo looked in that direction, noticing Jihae and Winter snuggled up together in their rabbit forms. The black cat bit back his glare towards the silver rabbit, deciding to set his attention back onto the food Heejung was pulling out of the fridge.<br>"They got in pretty late last night" he honestly said, overhearing them at 1am when they returned home. He would have interrupted their low talking if it wasn't for the fact that they spoke of the wizard's game and how they were going to deal with it. Jisoo had remained quiet as he listened to them, realising that his time with Heejung was slowly coming to an end.  
>"Heejung" Jisoo said, moving himself over to stand next to Heejung, his brows bunching together for a moment. The young woman hummed, signalling him that she was indeed listening to him.<br>"If I disappear you'd wait for me to come back, right?" Jisoo asked.  
>"Yes of course" Heejung responded naturally without much thought. She had heard similar questions from Jisoo before; they were getting more frequent as the days went by.<br>"You promise?" Jisoo pushed on, gaining her full attention as she paused chopping up the meat.  
>"I promise" she told him and the cat weakly smiled at her. Softly he kissed the top of her head, letting her get back to making breakfast.<br>"Good" he murmured, stepping away from her to glance over to the rabbits who were slowly waking up.

Winter slowly stretched, the smell of food bringing her out of her slumber. She gently nudged Jihae awake; her eyes softening as the silver rabbit gently nudged her back in greeting. Carefully Winter stood herself up on all three feet, shaking away her sleepiness as she hopped herself onto the floor. A squeak escaped her mouth, misjudging the landing with a thump. A bit dazed Winter sat up, shaking her head; she really needed to spend more time in her rabbit form.  
>"Are you alright?" Jihae asked, worry in his voice. Winter looked up at the man, his ears upright as his hair pooled over his shoulders. She smiled, nodding her head in his direction.<br>"Oh you're awake" Winter heard Heejung call from the kitchen,  
>"Do you want breakfast?" she continued on making Jihae look down at Winter with a questioning expression. The black rabbit nodded, knowing it would save them going into town to buy food to eat.<br>"Yes, would you like help with it my lady?" Jihae asked Heejung, earning a glare from Jisoo. Heejung laughed, shaking her head and dismissing his offer. Instead of being offended by her decline Jihae shrugged, watching as Winter transformed into her human form to walk across the room to the dining table. Jihae followed suit, a smile on his face as he sat next to her.

The four of them sat together at the table, Jihae and Winter having vegetables while Heejung and Jisoo had some kind of meat. There was a comfortable silence among them, something Heejung was thankful for. Since Winter had arrived it had released the tension between Jisoo and Jihae.  
>"So how was the house?" Heejung casually asked as she ate, wanting to know the details. At the mention of the house Winter's eyes lit up, excitement showing in them.<br>"It's fantastic, I got really lucky with it. When returning to the office to discuss the prices and stuff the house owners were there meaning my offer got accepted straight away. We'll be able to move in next week and the best part about it is that there's furniture already" Winter happily said, finishing her food.  
>"We?" Heejung questioned, hearing her clearly. At this a small blush swept onto Winter's cheeks.<br>"Jihae's moving with me and perhaps Jieun will too, I'm planning to meet up with him later to discuss things" Winter told her and Heejung's face fell slightly.  
>"That's… that's pretty soon. Are you moving in straight away?" she asked and Winter nodded.<br>"That's the plan; we've troubled you long enough. The house isn't that far away so we'll be able to visit often" Winter told her, noticing her sadness straight away. Heejung brightened up at the reminder of visiting, knowing that this day was going to arrive eventually.  
>"This place is getting emptier by the day… Jiyeon has been gone for weeks without a word and Jiwoo comes back now and again but never talks, his attention always glued to books. I rarely see Jieun either, the only way I know if he comes home or not is if the apples are taken" Heejung quietly said.<br>"Jieun is living with a kind woman out of the city" Jihae informed her, his tone blank as he hid away his pain. Winter looked in his direction, understanding he was still struggling to accept that Jieun was no longer glued to his side.  
>"Well Jisoo is still here" Winter piped in, looking across to the cat as she steered the conversation away from Jieun.<br>"Unless he's that bad to hang around with" she added, winking playfully to him to show she meant no harm in her words. Heejung laughed as the cat growled at her comment but she saw the weariness in his eyes, the animals knew that he wouldn't be here for long. Heejung was oblivious to the emotion in Jisoo's eyes, her attention back on her food. The four of them finished their breakfast, wanting to get to the day ahead of them.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_**Chapter Nineteen.**_

Winter breathed in the spring air as she walked alone to the beach; with summer coming she couldn't help but enjoy the warm weather. She had parted from Jihae twenty minutes ago, the tall man claiming he was meeting someone at the library. Winter didn't pry into who it was, deciding that Jihae would probably tell her later. She let a small smile slither onto her face as she reached the beach but it soon faded as she found the person she was looking for.  
>"You came" a soft, quiet voice spoke. Jieun sat alone on the sand, straying away from the other people that enjoyed the day with their families. His red eyes were firmly set on the sea, a slight glint in them.<br>"You asked me to" Winter responded politely, standing at his side. The small white rabbit nodded, patting the area next to him.  
>"Sit" he requested, never turning his eyes away from the sea. With an awkward shuffle Winter sat herself down on the sand next to him, peering across at him.<br>"Have you thought about my offer?" Winter asked him, hoping he had come to a decision by now. With him never being home Winter hadn't had chance to ask him personally, the only reason they were meeting today was because he left a small note on the table asking to.  
>"Yes" he blankly replied. His head moved upwards, his eyes turning to the sky as he sighed.<br>"I can't come" he said.

For once in her life she wished she knew more about this rabbit, even though they spent time together when Jihae was working there was still this gap between them… It was as if Jieun didn't want to get close to anyone.  
>"Why?" she couldn't help but ask, knowing that Jihae will be saddened by this news.<br>"I… I must let him go…" he told her. Winter watched as the young rabbit turned his eyes to hers, the sign of emotion surprising her. He often wore a blank expression, only Jihae being able to pick out his feelings.  
>"He will be happy with you, I know he will… I – I'm glad this happened… I'm going to miss Eddie – no, Jihae…" Jieun quietly continued on without truly explaining his intention.<br>"You don't have to do this…" Winter reasoned but Jieun's eyes sharpened in determination.  
>"I must" he forcefully said. Winter was baffled by this… why? Why did he want to remove the closest thing he had in life? She looked away and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think back in time when she was with the assassins. They had dirt on anyone and everyone… even him. Why did Jieun believe Jihae would be happy without him? He sounded so sure of himself, so certain.<br>"The tale is true then…" she murmured to herself, disbelief heard in her words.  
>"The colour of your fur, your eyes…" she continued on but Jieun remained silent. She weakly smiled, a small sorrow brewing in her heart; Jieun was doing this for him, for Jihae. It made sense now.<br>"I understand" Winter quietly said after a moment, recovering herself. Jieun's eyes softened for a moment before he moved them away from her, setting them onto the sea again.  
>"I've already hurt him once, I saw the one I trusted the most slowly lose all life and feeling… you changed that though, you made him care again, made him happy… something I could never do" Jieun admitted. Although his voice was blank and emotionless there was a maturity there that Winter had not witnessed before.<br>"What will you do now then?" Winter asked, concern settling in her heart. She knew becoming independent was hard for him, she hoped he was coping well.  
>"I've found someone to live with, someone who will help me when the game is over…" Jieun informed her, standing himself up. He dusted himself off, looking down at her.<br>"Winter" he said, his eyes locking with hers. She couldn't read the emotions in his eyes but she could easily tell he was fighting back tears.  
>"Promise me you'll give him the book and wait for him, never forget him… he'll need time to recover" Jieun asked and Winter frowned.<br>"What do you me-?" she tried to ask but his voice cut her off.  
>"Promise me" he requested, his eyes glistening.<br>"I promise" she weakly told him. A small, sad smile passed onto his face. It was as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Slowly he pulled something out of his picket, a letter of some sorts. He handed it over to Winter, the name 'Jihae' neatly scribbled over the front of it. She could feel the hard wax stuck to the back of it, the letter was sealed shut tight.  
>"When June the first comes give this to him. Made sure it's hidden inside the book" he told her and Winter nodded, curious to what he had written in the letter.<br>"I'll speak with Eddie – with Jihae tomorrow… You're like her you know, like your mother. Although she doesn't fully understand what happened to her she forgives you. I will look after her now, like you'll look after Jihae for me. We'll see each other again but we'll never speak, take care of yourself" Jieun continued on. At the mention of her mother she was stunned, what did he mean? The rabbit turned and started walking away. Out of impulse she called his name, waiting for him to pause and turn around but he never did… he just kept walking.

Winter was left alone on the beach, looking down at the enclosed letter. She couldn't believe she would never speak to Jieun again, was Jihae going to be left with the same fate? Jihae had mentioned that Jieun was living with a woman now; with Jieun's final words did that mean he was living with her mother? She closed her eyes, his words sinking in. Whatever Jihae and Jieun were going to discuss tomorrow it was not going to be pleasant. But whatever happens in the next few months didn't matter, Winter would keep her promise… she would wait for him no matter what.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty.**

Jihae's heart was racing as he entered the library, a part of him longing to be alongside Winter again. He knew she had gone out to meet with Jieun but she did not know he had gone here. A concerned expression flickered onto Jihae's face as he noticed who he was looking for. Up ahead sat Jiwoo, the male rabbit completely alone at a table. Before approaching him Jihae wondered how Winter was doing at the beach. Would Jieun want to move in with them? Doubt filled his heart, knowing he would meet with him tomorrow. If the answer was yes then why would he want to meet him alone tomorrow? He couldn't help but feel that tomorrow was going to be an unpleasant day.  
>"Do you plan to stand there all day?" Jiwoo's voice snapped making Jihae fall out of his thoughts.<p>

The high class spotted rabbit looked up at him in annoyance, a look Jihae had grown used to. Jihae didn't respond to his comment, deciding to take a seat opposite him. The small table he was sat at had several books piled to one side, the titles of them suggesting they were mostly romance novels. Paper with scribbled notes sat in front of Jiwoo, the rabbit noticing his gaze immediately as he hurriedly covered them.  
>"Hey they're not to be looked at!" Jiwoo angrily said, hiding them under blank pieces of paper but the damage had already been done. Jihae had already spotted what was written on them; Jiwoo had been writing a journal of some sorts dating back to the summer. Was this how he was going to deal with the memory loss? As annoying as this rabbit could be at times he was pretty smart so Jihae took note, wondering if he could do a similar thing to remember himself.<br>"What do you want anyway? Why come bother me? Can't you see I have a busy life to live?" Jiwoo spoke again and Jihae turned his attention back to Jiwoo, unfazed by his annoyance.  
>"It's about-" Jihae started off but was cut off.<br>"What? You need romance tips?!" Jiwoo quickly butted in with glittering eyes, a smirk playing on his lips as his annoyance faded away.  
>"No" Jihae sharply said, a faint blush creeping across his cheeks as the rabbit snorted under his breath.<br>"Good, wasn't going to give you any in the first place. Well?! Why are you here?" Jiwoo responded, his annoyance back in a flash. Jihae was surprised that Jiwoo hadn't been kicked out of here yet, although he wasn't shouting yet his voice was loud. Thankfully there were only two others sitting several tables away, unfazed by Jiwoo. They were probably used to it by now if they came here often, he doubted Jiwoo behaved well when spending time in the library. Jihae shook his head, getting his thoughts back on track. A part of him wondered if he should have gone to Winter first but he threw that thought away, there was no harm in asking Jiwoo the questions he had. He wondered if Jiwoo had the answers in the first place. The surname Tucker had been bothering him; Winter had claimed it was her surname back but it rung alarm bells in his head. Why though? Was it something to do with her mother or perhaps even her father? His mood dampened at the thought of her father; surely that was the reason why the surname was bothering him.  
>"What do you know about the surname Tucker?" Jihae asked, his voice low as he looked the rabbit in the eye.<p>

All colour left Jiwoo's face, his emerald eyes wide as his fingers curled. Slowly Jiwoo leaned forward in his chair, his eyes sharp as he eyed up Jihae.  
>"Wha-why-why do you want to know about the Tuckers?" Jiwoo shot in a whisper, his tone slightly shaky. Jihae was surprised at such a reaction but he knew that Jiwoo had the information he wanted… why though? Jihae was unsure of how to answer him, he didn't want to say it was Winter's surname but he needed to know why the surname reminded Jihae of something he couldn't quite remember.<br>"I heard it a few weeks back" Jihae lied with an innocent look,  
>"It sounded familiar…" he added, not explaining it any further. Jiwoo squinted his eyes, easily detecting there was more to it.<br>"And you think I know something?" Jiwoo quickly shot out, his hands still clenched. Jihae could see the defensiveness in his eyes, it was clear that this topic was not a pleasant one. Did Jiwoo know the Tucker's were a part of the assassins? Jihae had to think quickly, he didn't want Jiwoo to dismiss him without getting any answers.  
>"I… well you always claim to be smart… huh I must have been wrong…" Jihae responded after a moment of silence, biting back his victory smile as Jiwoo took the bait.<br>"I am smart! Dumb rabbit, I never said I didn't know anything!" Jiwoo snapped back, his eyes closing as he recomposed himself. Jihae leaned forward, wanting to hear his tale.

Jiwoo lowly sighed as he unclenched his hands, setting himself into a more comfortable position.  
>"The Tuckers…" Jiwoo breathed, his eyes closing for a moment as he found the words he wanted to say.<br>"There are only a few of them, word goes that they were considered royalty among that crazy assassin cult down Darkened Burrow in Grass. 'The darker the coat the better they are' people would say… dumb saying if you ask me; a lot of rabbits have dark fur and they're useless" Jiwoo explained to him making Jihae frown. Jihae doubted he would have heard the surname from those within the assassin cult; they would stay clear of Jihae, especially after he became a knight.  
>"Doubt you would have heard it from that" Jiwoo knowingly said, easily reading Jihae's expression.<br>"They're dumb but not dumb enough to say it aloud, no…" Jiwoo continued on, thinking back in time. Memories of his family and merchants came to mind, their stories mixed but similar.  
>"Erwin" Jiwoo blankly said, the name ringing alarm bells in Jihae's head… Jihae had heard that name before but where..? Surely that was not the name of her father… it sounded feminine.<br>"A common rabbit who lived in Grass, she was often mocked for her fur colour. 'Black as night' they would say, 'bet she's a Tucker'. She mostly grew up in Grass but then she'd disappear for months on end, travelling from place to place. The rabbits always noticed when she disappeared, the merchants often making wild stories about her. Their tales spread like wildfire among the common people, I remember the merchants constantly retelling the tale in Kanos. Such a boring story if you ask me, a six year old could have done better. Folk said she visited Kanos often; I never saw her there but word said that she would gather information. When she got what she wanted she would return home. The rabbits would always notice when she returned to Grass, the words 'Erwin T' chanted down the streets" Jiwoo explained to the silver rabbit and Jihae was surprised at how much he knew.

Jihae thought back to his time in Grass, the name Erwin T familiar to him now but he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't the reason he had alarm bells in his head. Did Winter have a younger sister? Or perhaps that was her mother's name.  
>"But then the Duke of Grass was assassinated… That was the last day anyone muttered the name on the streets… People feared her, believed she had gone wild and was killing everyone she crossed paths with. There was a wild hunt for her head, she was never found though." Jiwoo finished off, his eyes clouding over.<p>

As Jiwoo mentioned the assassination things clicked into place; Winter had mentioned she had been there, her memory of the event lost though… Was Winter's real name Erwin? As a knight he had heard of the hunt for her head, he was never assigned the job though for he was assigned to remain by Jieun's side at all times. Jihae studied Jiwoo's face closely; it was as if he had seen a ghost. Jihae frowned at his expression making Jiwoo spark back to life, tilting his head down to avoid his eye contact. Jihae shrugged off his expression, believing he had got all the information he wanted.  
>"Thank you" Jihae softly said, his eyes off Jiwoo. He probably could have got all that information from Winter if he'd asked. With that in mind he stood, hoping to have this discussion with Winter at some point.<p>

Jihae shook the thought from his mind, pushing the chair under the table as he made his leave. He strode forward, passing Jiwoo's side without another glance but Jiwoo harshly grabbed his arm, his grip firm. Jihae set his eyes back onto the rabbit, confused by his sudden action. Jiwoo's face was scrunched up, it was as if the rabbit was slowly summarising their conversation. The Kanos rabbit was smart, something he prided himself in, but right at this moment he wished he was dumb. A painful memory attacked him, one that often gave him nightmares and left him breathless. Realisation fell on his face, the pieces to his puzzle put together.  
>"This… this is about her… about Winter... it makes sense now" Jiwoo breathed in disbelief.<br>"…her black fur, her injuries…" Jiwoo continued on, his skin pale. Jihae panicked, how could he have linked it together? Jihae hadn't mentioned Winter once…  
>"Like you said a lot of rabbits have dark fur-" Jihae quickly quoted, keeping his calm but Jiwoo cut him off before he could finish his sentence.<br>"None exactly like her… Don't play me as a fool…" Jiwoo sharply said, his eyes snapping to Jihae's surprised blue ones. Jihae was shocked; all youth left Jiwoo as a mature atmosphere filled its place. Had he seen Winter before? He mentioned he never saw her in Kanos, it didn't make sense. Jiwoo sounded so sure of himself though, could he be mistaken?  
>"You… you wasn't there, you didn't see…" Jiwoo shakily said, his hand still on Jihae's arm.<br>"What do you mean?" Jihae asked in confusion.  
>"I… uh… nothing. Go… go away, you've bothered me enough!" Jiwoo quickly said, his usual attitude returning. Jihae didn't move though, Jiwoo's hand was still gripping onto his arm and Jihae wanted some sort of explanation. As if realising this Jiwoo sharply removed his hand from his arm, his emerald eyes landing back on his desk.<br>"Rabbit…" Jiwoo murmured under his breath, knowing that Jihae could hear him. There was a long pause, Jihae questioning if Jiwoo was going to say anything more.  
>"There was another there the night the Duke was assassinated, a grey cat. All is not what it seems" were the words that followed his last. His words were dark, as if something terrible haunted him. Why would Jiwoo say something like that? What would a Kanos rabbit know? The assassination happened in Grass… had he been there? Had he travelled to Grass to attend the event?<br>"No-now go, I've already said too much" Jiwoo quietly said.

Jihae had so many questions, ones that he'll never get the answer to and he couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. Did Jiwoo know what happened at the event? If so why didn't he say anything? Jihae's heart twisted in dread… he knew Winter had no memory of the night but if Jiwoo had the information she missed would she want to know? Jihae remembered a past conversation he had with her about the topic, the black rabbit mentioning that perhaps it is best she didn't know. Would her opinion of that change if there was a chance to know? Reluctantly Jihae left the library, his mind muddled and confused. The silver haired elegant man glanced up at the darkening sky, knowing he was to meet with Winter at the park later. He couldn't keep something like this hidden away from her; he knew he had to tell her of what he learnt.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty-One.**

His hands were shaking as he met up with Winter later that evening, the pair of them eating at a quiet restaurant before returning back to the park. They were lost in their own thoughts, not wanting to share them while out in public for people to overhear. As they reached the park though they finally felt isolated from the rest of the world, Winter being the first to speak.  
>"Is something the matter Jihae? You seem troubled" Winter softly asked him as they sat themselves on one of the benches, the woman looking across at Jihae. The silver haired beauty let out a long, shaky breath. Winter could tell something had been troubling him throughout the day; his movements were rugged, his mind often elsewhere while his eyes constantly flickered to her in question, confusion and wonder. He had wanted to share something with her desperately but it seemed as if he was parted, unsure if he should voice aloud what troubled him. She was thankful that the man was willing to open up to her, the defensive barriers that once boldly stood in his eyes several months ago now non-existent.<br>"I met up with Jiwoo today" he began making Winter let out a soft laugh, leaning back into the bench with a playful smile.  
>"I bet he was pleased about that" she sarcastically said with a wiggle of her eyebrows but Jihae didn't seem too pleased by her joke, a smile unseen from him.<br>"I asked about your surname. I remembered it from Grass but couldn't figure out why. I was going to ask you today about it but you were busy seeing Jieun so I thought I'd get some answers from Jiwoo. I didn't want to trouble you with the past" Jihae honestly explained, his tone uncertain. Winter's playful manner simmered, closing her eyes for a moment at the mention of her surname and the reminder of Jieun's conversation with her.  
>"Wise choice to pick him out of all the animals, merchant families always seem to know the gossip" Winter blankly said, knowing parts of Jiwoo's background.<br>"I assume he had a lot to say about my past" she continued on but stiffened as Jihae's expression grew worried.  
>"I… that… that wasn't the problem…" Jihae slowly said, his hands going to his face as he rubbed his temples. Winter grew confused at his words, Jihae already knew the basics of her past so what else troubled him?<br>"He mentioned the night… the night the Duke was assassinated" he confessed and Winter froze.  
>"I… what?" she blankly said in disbelief and Jihae repeated himself, quoting whole conversation he had with Jiwoo.<p>

Winter quietly listened to his tale, her brows furrowing in confusion at his final words. Her eyes moved from his, misting over as she looked out into the distance. As hard as she tried she couldn't remember that night at all, the final song played there the only thing she remembered. The tune had haunted her, it still did on the odd occasion but she had learnt to live with it. A harsh breeze blew against her, the cold biting the naked skin on her face. She shivered under its touch, the feeling unwelcoming to her. Her eyes were unfocused, thinking back to her days when she found herself imprisoned.

She wanted to find out the truth about that night so badly; she knew she was disliked among the assassins. What had happened that night to make them hunt her down like a savage beast? She inwardly winced at the thought, glancing down at her fake leg. All of that was in the past, a place she could never return to… a place she never wanted to return to.  
>"I don't understand how Jiwoo would know about that night. He is a rabbit from Kanos… I have had missions to investigate his family very few times but we have never once met. I would have remembered without question; there are not many rabbits with his attitude around" Winter quietly murmured, her thoughts being spoken aloud by mistake. Jihae easily heard her words, uneasy about the situation.<br>"Although an annoying rabbit I don't think he'd make something like this up… His actions were too realistic to be forced, he was at the event for sure" Jihae slowly said but instead of Winter asking for more details she remained silent, her hand starting to clench in frustration.

She didn't know who the cat Jiwoo spoke of; she had never come across a grey cat in all her lifetime. If there was another then was she working with the cat? Was the cat set against her? Winter shook her head to remove the thoughts, wondering why her past was seemingly chasing her down.  
>"… damn wizard…" she darkly muttered, knowing the cause of this. The wizard must have remembered Jiwoo from the night of her task, perhaps that is the reason why she was teleported here. The wizard must have planned for her to join the other animals, did he also intend for her to fall for Jihae?<br>"That's the only explanation to this" Winter continued to mutter but paused, realising she was in Jihae's company. She sighed, her expression becoming troubled and pained.  
>"The wizard must have planned all of this. Remember when I told you that I didn't want to chase the truth a while back? I meant that. I bet the wizard's done this for his own cruel amusement, having Jiwoo's information as bait for me to go against my words…" Winter explained to him, hoping her thoughts made sense to him.<br>"Well I'm not falling for it, he will not make a fool out of me" she added to the end of it, her voice filled with determination. Although Jihae couldn't truly understand the emotions she was feeling right now he respected her choice, slinging an arm over her shoulder to comfort her.

Winter sighed in content almost immediately, his touch calming her instantly. It felt as if her doubts for not seeking Jiwoo escaped her, knowing that she had made the right choice to not chase the answers. Jihae was the reason why she wanted to stick to her silent promise; she knew that whatever happened in the past no longer mattered. All what mattered now was the present and the future. She didn't want to risk the consequences of finding out the truth; she feared for the worst and didn't want it haunting her for the rest of her days.  
>"Winter" Jihae breathed into her ear several minutes later, the woman stirring to his voice. Winter had grown both physically and mentally tired from today's events, a part of her wanted to sleep all her problems away but she knew that she couldn't escape reality. Time was ticking by and she only had a month with Jihae left until he lost his memory.<br>"I think I've found a way to remember" Jihae continued on making Winter look up at him, still snuggled close to his side.  
>"How?" she asked in surprise but the man secretively smiled, a knowing expression falling on his features.<br>"I need to make some arrangements but you'll know soon enough. Come, let us walk home. It's getting late and you're tired" Jihae replied to her making her nod in agreement. As they walked back to Heejung's apartment Winter tried to get a proper answer from him but Jihae refused, wanting it to be a surprise.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two.**

Two days passed by and true to his word Jihae had made the arrangements. The tall silver headed man walked with a smile on his face as he lovingly looked down at Winter by his side. Winter continued to wear a look of confusion on her face; she had grown so used to the quiet scenery that it almost startled her returning back to the city. Neither she nor Jihae were keen on the mass amount of people striding around the area, the pair never coming to the city by choice. They were often stared at by fans and strangers, some even being bold enough to approach them. The pair was uncomfortable by their presence at times, striding away from mobs of people with looks of determination.  
>"Why are we here?" Winter quietly asked, spotting a 'Classical Chem' poster in one of the stores featuring the new record she was a part of. It was due to come out at the end of the month; it was pretty amazing how fast they could throw together records these days.<br>"What's the fun in telling you now?" Jihae responded, gaining her attention again. Winter playfully rolled her eyes, her heartbeat quickening as she noticed some of the people nearby recognising who they were.  
>"You're such a tease" Winter offhandedly replied, playfully pouting at the man who merely smiled back with a bright expression.<p>

It wasn't long until they reached their destination, the building very familiar to the pair of them. It was the place where Jihae would have his photoshoots.  
>"I don't understand… are you working here again?" she quietly asked as he led her into the building. A different receptionist sat at the table; an elderly woman with half mooned glasses and grey hair.<br>"No" he quietly answered, his face falling as they approached the receptionist.  
>"Good morning, we have an appointment with Mr. Hai" Jihae professionally spoke, his face straight as the elderly woman recognised him immediately.<br>"Ah it is good to see you again. Hmm let me look here on the computer… ah yes… room A2 at 11:30am. Right on time like always… He's already there setting up, I'll give him a call to let him know you're making your way there" the receptionist told him, signalling the pair towards the hallway. Jihae spoke no more as he nodded in thanks, his hand falling into hers as he led her to the room.

As they entered the room they were greeted by the photographer Winter had met a few months ago, the man had hardly changed. He merrily hummed to himself as he noticed the pair enter the room, a large welcoming grin on his face.  
>"It's great to see you again Jihae. You must be Miss Winter… Jihae told me all about you, failed to mention you were the musician from Classical Chem mind" Mr Hai happily said, grinning ear to ear as he greeted the two in recognition. Jihae held Winter close to him as a blush creeped over her cheeks.<br>"It's a pleasure to meet you" Winter responded, a shy smile crossing her face as the man chuckled to himself.  
>"Clothes are already in the dressing room for you both, Rachel will be with you when you're ready. I never thought I'd see the day where Jihae returns let alone with a woman to model with!" Mr Hai spoke without hesitation, turning to his camera. Before Winter could question him what he meant Jihae led her to the dressing room, shutting the door behind him.<p>

Winter gazed at the racks of clothes to one side, her head tilting as she noticed long flowing dresses. It finally dawned on her what they were doing…  
>"Photos… You're going to remember by photos" Winter figured out, wandering over to the dresses in front of her. She let her hand run along the different materials, pausing in her step as she tried not to laugh at an odd one out. Jihae softly laughed to himself as he watched her, the woman turning to face him with a smile of her own.<br>"Yes, it seemed like the right thing to do. The company were more than willing to do this for us" Jihae confirmed.  
>"B-but isn't it expensive hiring them?" Winter asked, concern in her voice. She didn't want Jihae spending a lot of money on this; especially if it was something they could probably do themselves.<br>"I have my ways" Jihae replied in amusement, wiggling his brows playfully before his features softened.  
>"Now come, let us find some clothes" he continued on making Winter nod her head.<p>

Thankfully Jihae has a lot more knowledge than Winter did choosing outfits, his previous experience with modelling and fashion coming in handy. Jihae had picked a casual pair of black trousers, a smart white hat and a white shirt for himself. Winter on the other hand was given a long, flawless soft blue dress which matched her eyes and ribbon in her hair. It clung to her curves in all the right places, the material loose below the waist line to elegantly flow in her movements. Jihae stood there in awe when she came out from behind the wall, never seeing her so dressed up before.  
>"I… oh… wow…" he breathed, lost for words. Winter blushed under his gaze, shifting her weight onto her right foot. She had worn dresses before but knowing that Jihae was in front of her looking at every inch of her body made shivers trail down her spine. She nervously tilted her head down, shying away from his gaze.<br>"Does it not suit me?" she quietly asked, uncomfortable by his reaction but Jihae softly smiled, striding over to take her hands.  
>"You look breath taking" he honestly told her making her blush deepen as she looked back up at him.<br>"Not as much as you" she chimed back making Jihae's smile falter slightly. Winter noticed it at once, placing one of her hands on his cheek in a loving manner.  
>"What was said in the past no longer matters Jihae. There isn't anyone to judge you on your birth right here. There is a beauty in you that no one else has, a beauty I am fortunately enough to witness and cherish" Winter softly told him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. Jihae's smile returned again after her words, turning his head so that his lips met with hers.<br>"Thank you" Jihae softly murmured after their lips parted, turning his head to the chairs sitting in front of the large, long mirror above the counter.  
>"We better get Rachel in… though you look beautiful already" Jihae continued on, leading Winter to one of the chairs. She took a seat, her eyes following his form as he sat on another chair, hitting a button to signal Rachel to come in.<p>

Some moments later the red headed woman Winter remembered from months ago entered, her bubbly personality replacing the calm atmosphere previously sitting in the room.  
>"It's so good to- oh my! Are you not shooting alone Mr Jihae?" the red headed 30 year old woman spoke, her eyes wide. Jihae's expression was blank as he turned to face her.<br>"I am joined by my lovely partner today" Jihae responded, the words sinking into Winter. …Partner… She shouldn't be surprised by it but hearing him confirm that they were together, a couple, it made her heart warm. Rachel's eyes were wide in shock and amazement, Winter did her best to not laugh at her reaction. Winter smiled in greeting to the woman as she squeaked again, setting her make-up bag down onto the counter with force.  
>"I-I-I am so honoured to work for you both, Mr Hai said you were coming but I didn't believe him!" she spluttered in excitement, rushing to Jihae's side first. She analysed his face, her brows knotting together in thought. It was clear that the woman was unsure if she should do something different, something special.<br>"Same as usual Rachel" he told her and the woman paused in her movement, her eyes lingering on his hat before shrugging and getting to work.

The woman had a true talent for make-up that was for sure, even with Jihae's natural beauty she managed to bring out his best qualities. It wasn't long before Rachel moved onto Winter, digging into her bag to find equipment to style her hair. She moved her hands to Winter's thick ribbon around her head but paused in her movements, Jihae's warning eyes catching her off guard.  
>"Please leave the ribbon in place" Jihae commanded, his tone firm. The woman hurriedly nodded, her hands leaving that area as she ran her fingers through Winter's hair. Winter didn't realise it but she had been holding her breath, not wanting her rabbit ears to be found. That would be a hard one to explain…<br>"Thank you, the ribbon is very special to me. It was a gift from my mother" Winter quietly murmured, her tone gentle as she watched the woman in the mirror. Rachel's eyes flickered to her own, surprised that Winter had spoken directly to her. Winter couldn't help but wonder if many of the models paid any attention to her as she worked on them, were they similar to Jihae and hardly spoke?

It didn't seem to matter for a few minutes after the mishap Rachel was happily talking again, it was as if the moment never happened. She had curled Winter's hair, deciding to give her very light make-up to bring out her features. Eagerly the red headed woman stood back, grinning at her work.  
>"There, you're all set to go!" she beamed, heading over to her make-up bag. Jihae nodded, standing himself up. He held out a hand for Winter, the female rabbit taking it immediately as she got out of the chair. The pair of them walked over to the door to leave, Winter turning her head to look over her shoulder.<br>"Thank you Rachel" she softly said, noticing the woman freeze for a moment before smiling to herself. Winter softly smiled at her reaction, turning to face ahead. Jihae didn't make a comment on the moment, the tall man leading her out of the dressing room.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty Three**

The photo shoot was a long one, Mr Hai guiding the two through different poses and angles to get the right shots. Winter thought back to the times she had seen Jihae modelling; his moves were elegant and breath-taking. Jihae hadn't lost his touch since quitting his job, he worked as well as he used to but something was completely different this time around.

Mr Hai was the first to notice it; the experienced man had worked with many clients over his years but Jihae was the most mysterious one by far. To see a man with little to no emotion unsettled him when meeting him in his first interview but he never delved deeper, Mr Hai was happy that Jihae worked hard and well. Today shocked him though; there was so much emotion on his face as he worked with the woman beside him. Jihae had noted to Mr Hai that she was his partner; whatever Winter had done to Jihae it had changed him. Mr Hai found himself smiling as he worked; he had missed shooting for this man so to be shooting him again was an amazing experience for him. He was also pleasantly pleased with Winter; he had expected her to have little to no experience at all when it came to modelling in front of a camera but she surprised him. She followed his words effortlessly for the most part; now and again she would falter, her lack of experience evident but Jihae would often comfort her with soft words. The cameraman thought back to the last time he had seen Jihae, a small black rabbit coming to mind. He couldn't help but wonder how it was doing and if Jihae still owned it. Mr Hai shook those thoughts away, deciding to ask those questions at a later date if he remembered to.

The shoot was drawing to an end and although they did their best not to show it both Jihae and Winter were exhausted. They both wore smiles on their faces as they did their final pictures but there was sadness there, a sadness that the photographer couldn't quite understand.  
>"Well that's a wrap guys, man I wish I could publish some of these" Mr Hai stated, a grin on his face as he moved himself away from the camera. Jihae and Winter breathed a breath of relief, their bodies relaxing down out of their poses. Winter noticed the questionable expression on Jihae's face, the rabbit nodding to himself once before clearing his throat.<br>"You can if you want" Jihae clearly said, the grin on Mr Hai's face disappearing.  
>"Pardon?" he asked in surprise, his eyes blinking for a moment.<br>"You can publish some of them" Jihae repeated and the grin on Mr Hai's face returned, his eyes glittering.  
>"I-oh… thank you" Mr Hai responded, looking across at his camera in a longing manner.<br>"How much do I owe you?" Jihae asked, gaining the photographers attention again.  
>"I-huh? Oh! Nothing, nothing at all if I get to publish these. I'll look through these shots tonight and give you a call in a few days. I should have the pictures printed and sent to you in a week or two" Mr Hai told him, a true smile falling on his face. Jihae gave a small smile back, tilting his head in gratitude. The three of them spoke some more before Jihae and Winter returned to the dressing room, getting changed back into their casual clothing before saying their farewells. Mr Hai was a little sad that Jihae wasn't working for him again but there was some hope left in his heart… a hope that he'd have the pleasure of shooting them again one day.<p>

Jihae and Winter left the building with their arms linked, their bodies brushing together as they walked down the street to leave the city. The sunlight was still cascading its rays over the world but the day had mostly gone by, evening soon approaching them. As they walked they noticed a familiar pair walking together; Jisoo and Heejung. Winter sadly smiled at them, nudging Jihae in their direction.  
>"She's going to be heartbroken when he leaves" Jihae lowly murmured, the pair pausing in their steps to watch them walk across the street. Winter closely analysed them both, a knowing expression on her face.<br>"They both will be, Jisoo cares for her a lot" she quietly said, turning her eyes away from them and back to Jihae.  
>"But there's still hope that their paths will cross again in the future" Winter added on making Jihae nod in agreement.<br>"We should head back, there are only a few days left until we move into the new place" Jihae noted, tugging on her arm in the opposite direction to Jisoo and Heejung. Winter walked on, knowing he was right.  
>"It'll be nice to have a place to call our own" Winter confessed, leaning into his touch. Jihae nodded but concern crossed his face, his heart skipping a beat as he tried to predict the future. Winter meant so much to him; he didn't want to lose her when losing his memory… He could only hope that the photos would be enough.<p>

Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days. Jihae and Winter said farewell to Heejung and Jisoo, leaving that life behind as they entered the new house. They were both excited for the move, having a home to call their own without anyone else to disturb them was all they ever wanted. It didn't take them too long to settle into the house, the pair relieved to actually have a bed instead of a couch to sleep on. They both fell into their comfort zones as they enjoyed their time together, often walking around the nearby fields and sitting to rest by the large horse shoe lake with a lone willow tree. Time was forgotten as each day was a blur to them but one morning a box arrived, the address printed on the top of it.  
>"Hey we got something" Winter offhandedly mentioned that morning, carrying the box inside the house and into the kitchen. Jihae glanced up from the dining table, setting his knife and fork down onto the emptied plate in front of him.<br>"What is it?" he replied, curious to what she had. Winter shrugged, sitting herself next to him as she pulled loose the ribbon surrounding it, opening the box. Both of them tensed, Winter slowly pulling out a padded envelope and a heavy, empty book.  
>"Oh" Jihae breathed, pushing his place away to make room for the new items. They had forgotten all about the photos; they had got so comfortable living together that they had forgotten about the wizard's game completely. Winter gently sighed as she opened the envelope, pulling out the numerous printed photos.<br>"Well at least the photo's look good… wait, there's some old ones of you holding a black rab- holding me" Winter spoke, correcting herself as she weakly smiled at the old memories. Jihae smiled in return, opening the book to look at the blank pages.  
>"There's enough room to write in this too" Jihae noted, the woman looking across and humming in agreement. She looked to the wall behind them, a large calendar sitting there.<br>"May the 21st… we don't have long left" Winter sadly said, turning her eyes away. Jihae slung his arm over her shoulders, pulling her to his side.  
>"Let's make the best of it then" he murmured in her ear, kissing the top of her head. Winter nodded in response but she couldn't fully relax down; she was not looking forward to what was to come.<p> 


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Both of them tried not to show it but they were terrified. None of them wanted this day to come but they couldn't control time let alone fate.  
>"…we can do this and this…" Jihae continued on in the background as they ate breakfast that morning but he fell silent. Winter was picking at her food, failing to even eat it. She had lost some weight over the month; the stress of moving and the end of the game taking a toll on her. She ran a hand through her hair, the dark strands lacking their usual shine. It pained Jihae to see her this way; all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. They both knew that this journey was going to be a tough one, the hardest part soon to approach.<br>"Winter?" Jihae spoke again, concern on his face. The woman pulled herself out of her thoughts, weakly smiling at the man next to her.  
>"Jihae…" she breathed, taking his hand at the table.<br>"We don't need to do all those things" she continued on, watching the man tense.  
>"But this could be our last day together…" Jihae nervously replied, doubt evidently eating at his soul. Winter defensively shook her head, not falling victim to the same problem.<br>"No" she shortly said, determination in her eyes. At her reaction Jihae sighed, squeezing her hand. Winter's expression softened at the action, regretting biting his head off.  
>"Sorry I'm… I'm just on edge. Just knowing that the game is over after today I…" Winter tried to explain but her voice failed her. Jihae understood her though, a low defeated sigh escaping him. Jihae had been struggling, constantly writing notes in the photo album in hopes of it helping him. Even with his memory loss he knew he'd look at the album, he wouldn't simply throw away something that could explain his sudden loss of memory. Jihae couldn't predict how he'd respond to reading all his notes though; all he could do was pray that he could accept moving on from his past.<br>"How about we just go to the lake and spend whatever time we have left together?" Jihae gently suggested after a minute or two, his heart lifting as Winter smiled.  
>"I… I'd like that" she honestly told him, grabbing the photo album from the table.<br>"We should probably finish this off too" she suggested, the man nodding in agreement with her. Jihae grabbed the nearby picnic basket, putting a few snacks and drinks inside while Winter went to another room, grabbing a large blanket for them to use. Once grabbing their items they smiled to one another, putting on their shoes as they left the house and headed to the fields.

The pair walked side by side through the field next to the house, walking down a narrow trail for several minutes until they reached their destination. A large, horse shoe lake proudly gleamed ahead of them, the morning rays shining down on the water. Areas of the lake had ripples, small fish swimming around in circles. A lone willow tree sat close by to the lake's edge, small flowers intertwined with the ankle length grass. Jihae and Winter approached the willow tree, setting the blanket across the ground as they sat themselves down.  
>"This place is so peaceful" Winter breathed, placing the album to one side as she closed her eyes. It was refreshing to have the summer breeze pass by her skin, cooling her down from the walk. Jihae glanced across at her, his face softening at her peaceful expression.<br>"Yes… yes it is" Jihae agreed. He placed the picnic basket to the right of him, leaning across to grab the album. Winter didn't open her eyes as she felt the book brush by her, she simply leaned into Jihae as he sat himself beside her. She felt his arm snake around her waist, her eyes quirking open for a moment as she watched the man open the album on his lap.

The photo album was mostly designed for containing pictures but it seemed modified, the item containing more room for writing than actual pictures. She watched the pages flip by from start to finish, weakly smiling to herself. They started from Jihae working as a model, the odd picture of Jieun and Heejung being added to the album. A lot of writing was then on the next few pages, Jihae's neat writing familiar to Winter. She had watched him write endlessly the past few days, the woman often giving him food and drinks to ensure he didn't pass out from it all. The pages soon turned into photos of Jihae holding a small black rabbit in his shoots, familiar eyes staring right back at her. Pages of writing soon followed up after the photos, dates written on the top of some of them. Winter hadn't read any of these pages, respecting that Jihae wanted some things left unread. As he flicked the pages by she could only see parts of it; the man was struggling to deal with his past and his new feelings for Winter and the woman he used to love. She found herself frowning though as several quotes were separated from his sentences, the written text easy to read. She remembered some of them, the words coming from past conversations they had with one another.

…The tales are not true about you…

…Your colouring is very unique… It's actually refreshing…

…You are too kind Jihae…

…I want you to know that you truly are someone special…

…Do you wish her to be alive again? …No…

…If anyone deserves to love then it is you…

She smiled, noticing the pages turned back to pictures. The photos were from the shoot they did at the start of this month, the emotion in both of their faces surprising her slightly. Jihae paused on a few of the photos, humming to himself as he finally decided to continue turning the pages. The album was coming to an end, the final pages holding more writing.  
>"Are you sure that two pages will be enough for you?" Jihae murmured, pulling the pen out of his pocket as the last few pages became blank. Winter knew that he was nearly done with it all.<br>"Yes it will be plenty. I'll write it when you pack later on" Winter replied. Jihae breathed something under his breath, the smile on his face falling as he started to write.  
>"You'll give Jiwoo a run for his money" Winter murmured in jest as she watched the man write, Jihae never pausing.<br>"I want to make sure I write down everything, I don't want to mess up" Jihae replied. The woman gently removed the arm that was wrapped around her waist, laying herself down on the blanket.  
>"You worry too much" Winter quietly said,<br>"It'll be ok, you'll see" she continued on in confidence but her voice was strained, the confidence forced. Jihae paused in his writing, looking down at her.  
>"How do you know for sure? What happens if I leave and never return? What happens if-" Jihae found himself responding, his hand starting to shake. Winter forced a smile on her face, placing her hand on his shaking one.<br>"Faith" Winter murmured, rubbing his hand to calm him. Jihae deeply sighed, noticing Winter's eyes start to moist. They both knew that they were clinging for dear life onto their last strands of faith, Jihae struggling more than Winter today. Jihae tried to get control of himself, his hand leaving hers as he got back to writing.  
>"I will find you again Winter, I promise" Jihae softly said as he heard Winter's hand return to her side, the woman closing her eyes.<br>"And I will wait for you" Winter found herself replying instantly.


	25. Final Chapter

**Chapter Twenty Five - Final Chapter.**

Time went by too fast for their liking, the sun moving from one place to another without them noticing. Jihae had finished his writing around lunch time, the pair laying together on the blanket as they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together. Conversation was limited, none of them really finding the words to comfort one another. They knew that each other's company was enough, the moment Winter would never forget. It was around 7pm when Winter braved breaking the silence, sitting herself up to look at the man beside her with a sad smile.  
>"We should get going Jihae, it won't be long until he turns up to take you back to Heejung's place ready for… for tonight" Winter told him, sighing at the end while shaking her head. Jihae opened his eyes, the sadness and longing in them making Winter's eyes well up. Jihae sat himself up, forcing himself to nod in agreement to her as he stood up. He held out his hand, helping her to her feet. They grabbed their belongings, heading back to the house.<br>"I'll finish this off while you're sorting your stuff out" Winter told him as they stepped into the house. Jihae's lips parted for a moment, a part of him wanting to disobey stubbornly but instead he forced himself to nod. Quietly he headed upstairs to start packing his belongings, hoping that one day he'll return here.

Winter deeply breathed, removing the blue ribbon from her head as she tenderly rubbed her sore ears. She hated her ears being tucked away like that, the material often leaving sore patches if she wore it for several days in a row. She set the ribbon to the side, opening the album to the final two blank pages. Winter already knew what she wanted to write on them, she had spent the last month preparing something. Slowly she wrote, her writing not as elegant as Jihae's as she put down her thoughts and feelings, her experience with him the best she had ever had with someone in her life.  
>"…no matter where your future leads you always remember that I will wait for you. Forever yours, Winter" the woman finally finished off, placing the pen down on the nearby coffee table. She reread the two pages, knowing that this was all she could do for him now. She set the opened album to her side, glancing at an open letter sent by Jieun only two days ago.<p>

The letter sent to them was short and sweet, detailing that it would be best for Jihae to return back to Heejung's apartment for the night to end the wizard's game. Winter had wondered if Jieun had seen something when looking afar; was he doing this to change the future? He had told her to give him the book on the 1st but by his wording it was unwise for Winter to join them tonight, hinting that his letter should be hidden in the book tonight for him to take away. At the reminder of the letter Winter uneasily stood, walking across to the cupboard door under the stairs. She peered up the stairs for a moment, ensuring Jihae was nowhere nearby to witness what she was about to do.

Quietly she opened it, moving several empty cardboard boxes until she found the locked metal box she wanted, digging deep into one of her pockets to pull out a key. Carefully she opened the locked metal box, pulling out the letter Jieun had given her a while back. She returned the unlocked box to its place, shutting the cupboard door again before moving across the room. Winter peered around once more, the coast clear as she returned back to the album book. A part of her was curious to what the letter contained; as tempted as she was by it she didn't open the envelope. She set the letter onto one of the pages, the envelope still sealed shut. Quickly she snapped the album shut, grabbing the ribbon to tie around it.

At that moment the doorbell rung, Winter's blood turning to ice as she heard the thumping from upstairs stop. She hugged the bound album to her chest, her body starting to shake.  
>"Jihae!" Winter nervously called out over her shoulder as she walked to the door, opening it to reveal who it was. Her eyes painfully closed, widening the door as she let the visitor inside. As she opened her eyes again their eyes met for a moment, Winter unsure if she should speak or remain in silence. Jieun weakly smiled at her, sensing her troubles. She parted her lips to speak but he held up his hand, silencing her with a shake of his head. Jihae ran himself down the stairs, a bag slung over his shoulders as his heart panged in pain.<br>"It's time Jihae" an emotionless voice spoke to the silver rabbit, the tone not matching Jieun. Winter didn't breathe a word as she eyed the pair up, the white headed rabbit looking at Winter once more before leaving through the open door. Jihae stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, his body refusing to move forward. Slowly Winter walked over to him, finding no words to urge him onward. Jihae looked down at the book and then at her, his eyes welling up with tears. He carefully took the book from her, noticing the ribbon tightly tied around it.  
>"Don't open it until… until you're ready" Winter softly told him, her voice trembling as tears started to roll down her face. Her eyes fell to her feet, not managing to hold her composure anymore. Jihae's heart wildly thumped in pain, the feeling of loss and despair one he remembered well from the past. Carefully Jihae pulled her into an embrace, the grip around her tight as he didn't want to let her go. Jihae's rabbit ears dropped as he heard her start to sob in his arms, the man finding himself crying at the moment with her.<br>"I'll come back" he managed to murmur in her hair as he kissed the top of her head. They remained in that position for a few moments, finally having the strength to pull away. Jihae leaned down, giving her a kiss on the lips.  
>"Don't forget me" he softly ordered, the woman wildly shaking her head.<br>"I'll never forget you" she truthfully said. The pair looked at one another, Jihae letting go of her completely as he walked to the opened door where Jieun waited. The white rabbit seemed pained by the scene but there was a small, true smile on his face. He knew what was to come; he knew that they would be reunited again one day. As Jihae left the house he stopped some distance away, turning around to look back at the sight. Winter forced herself to smile, trying to force confidence that he will be back soon. Jieun must have said something for a look of confusion appeared on Jihae's face, the silver rabbit looking at him. Jihae nodded at his words, his eyes longingly looking at Winter one final time before turning. Winter watched as the pair walked down the narrow pathway that lead to her house, their bodies being lost in the darkness of the night. Winter sighed, reluctantly closing the front door with a heavy heart. She flung herself onto the couch, her head in her hands as she openly wept.

* * *

><p>A crack of thunder hunted Winter down as the slender woman grumbled under her breath, the pelting rain attacking her shivering form. Her footsteps were unsteady as she left the scattering city, newly placed Christmas decorations in shop windows fading in the distance behind her. The past two years and five months had been hard for her, the start of November seemingly haunting her more than the previous times but she had fought her way through them. She found herself working back at Classical Chem, the long hours comforting to her as she distracted herself as much as she could. The company had noticed the loss in weight and the reserved personality but when asking Winter had simply shook her head, not wanting to discuss the matter. Winter had made sure to keep up to working standards, she couldn't simply give up on life; Jihae would not have wanted that… Jihae… The woman stubbornly shook her head, her shaking body finally arriving at the bus stop. She waited, her lips sealed together tight as she spotted her bus arriving. The woman tilted her head as she popped onto the bus, the hat hiding her features as she sat herself on one of the seats. The lights on the bus seemed to glare as she tried to look out of the window, the darkened scenery barely seen.<p>

Winter couldn't believe it had been so long since she had seen him face to face… There were still old fashion magazines sitting back at home, the old pictures of Jihae reminding her that he was not simply a dream. Now and again she would find herself popping up in music magazines, her work noticed and questions increasing to where the mysterious model had gone. In all honesty she had little clue to where he was, she had heard no news from the animals since the end of the wizard's game, she hadn't even spoken with Heejung after it. Winter bit back her tears, a look of determination on her face. She had promised to wait; she didn't care how long it took but she would wait for him.

Winter sighed as her stop soon approached, the woman wordlessly exiting the bus as she felt the rain attack her body once more. A low sigh escaped her lips, her fingers sore from the endless recording session she had today. She took several steps forward, a flash of lightening pausing her in her step as she looked in the direction of her house. Up ahead, under the lone light under her porch stood a tall figure, their back turned to her. The figure was dressed in a long black coat, the features unknown to Winter who tried to squint her eyes. Cautiously she approached the figure, a shiver trailing down her spine as she noticed long silver hair beneath the rounded brown hat they wore. Her heart stopped as the figure turned, the bag they were holding dropping to the floor.  
>"Ji… Jihae?" Winter weakly whispered, blinking several times in disbelief. The male figure seemed to unsurely smile at her as he left the roof of the porch, effortlessly striding over to the shaking woman in the rain. Winter looked up at Jihae's face, the look of unsureness and hope in his eyes as they both halted in front of one another. His features were as strong as they had been years ago, the only difference being that dark circles surrounded his eyes. The man had found little rest it seemed, it was as if he had been endlessly searching for answers.<p>

Slowly Jihae raised his hand to her hat, the woman flinching away for a moment but never moving completely away. A rumble of thunder echoed around them, the sound setting Jihae into motion as he slowly removed the hat from her head. The rain felt comforting as it began to land on her head but her ears never raised, the pair simply flopping down to the side of her head. Jihae's eyes fixed on her rabbit ears for a moment, a light gasp escaping his lips in surprise. Jihae's eyes quickly darted back to hers as if the questions he had were now answered.  
>"My lady I…" he breathed, his eyes starting to water as he pulled her into an embrace. Whatever pain had haunted Winter since his departure left her soul, the feeling of his touch comforting to her.<br>"I… I don't remember what happen bu-but I know you was someone special… are someone special…" Jihae breathed in her ear, the woman melting to the sound of his voice. Winter wanted to express her feelings but her voice was lost, her lips quivering.  
>"I thought I had lost everything… It took years to track down Jieun, the book and letter the only things I had to guide me. He was hidden from my sight for so long but I knew he had the answers I needed to know. Each day I would read pieces of the book, its words confusing at first but as time went on I slowly accepted them. I haven't recovered my memory…" Jihae continued on, taking a small frustrated breath as he pulled slightly away from her, his hand cupping her face.<br>"…but my heart longed to find you and understand. Each day that went by I found myself reading the book and looking at the photos… We risked so much, not knowing for sure what the future would bring but you still waited for me… why did you wait for so long?" Jihae softly said. Winter softly smiled up at him,  
>"I made a promise that I would never give up, never forget you… I had faith that you would accept your past, release the guilt within you and learn to love again. If anyone deserves to love then it is you…" Winter honestly told him, her voice fragile and weak. Jihae's features softened at her words, pulling her into another tight embrace.<br>"I am honoured you waited, thank you" Jihae breathed.

A figure watched the scene from afar, purple eyes filled with mischief as his lips curled into a grin. The mysterious figure had foreseen this event happening, the man ensuring that Jihae and Jieun were split up after his game was completed. He wanted to watch them suffer; he wanted them to feel the pain he had to daily. An image of Heejung came into his head, his purple eyes closing for a moment as he recomposed himself. The wizard grinned, glad that he had got what he wanted but his heart dropped, wondering if one day he would be reunited with the one he desired most. The wizard shook those thoughts away, his purple eyes gleaming as he set them onto Jihae and Winter in the distance. The pair was smiling at one another in the rain, the woman taking his hand to lead him back to the house.  
>"One day Tucker…" he breathed, his words directed to the female rabbit.<br>"…one day I'll show you the forgotten night that has haunted you for so long" he continued on. As if by magic the purple eyed man faded away, never to be seen by them again.

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Hello all! I just wanted to say thank you a lot for taking the time to read this story. In all honesty I never quite expected it to be this long but I got a bit carried away and couldn't really stop myself. I was planning to reveal Winter's forgotten memory but decided against it, feeling it was best left out of this series to ensure the story didn't focus on Winter alone too much. If people are interested in reading her forgotten night then I may post it as a short story at some point._

_Once again thank you a lot for reading this story, if you're interested in me creating another story based on 'Dandelion – Wishes Brought to You' then please let me know, I'll happily write something on any of the characters. I hope you all have a wonderful day!_


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